Theories of Motivation The purpose of this assignment is to apply the motivation

Question

Theories of Motivation

The purpose of this assignment is to apply the motivation and job satisfaction theories to a specific situation. Describe the theories and key assumptions on what motivates people or makes them satisfied. Apply one of the theories to a specific situation related to motivation you have witnessed or experienced professionally. In your paper

Define each of the following major motivation and job satisfaction theories: need theories, individual differences, cognitive theories, situational theories, and job satisfaction.

Describe a specific situation in the workplace related to motivation and job satisfaction from your own professional experience and apply one of the theories to the situation.

Discuss how useful this theory is in explaining the lack of effort or the high performance of employees.

Provide examples of the advantages and disadvantages of this particular theory in explaining employee motivation or job satisfaction.

Your paper should be three to four pages in length (excluding the title and reference pages). Your paper must be formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center, and it must include citations and references for the text and at least two scholarly sources from the Ashford University Library.

Explanation / Answer

Needs-based motivation theories stem from the understanding that all motivation comes from an individual's desire to fulfill or achieve a need. This also states that human beings are motivated by unsatisfied needs, and typically certain lower needs must be satisfied before higher needs can be satisfied. In general terms, motivation can be defined as the desire to achieve a goal, combined with the energy, determination and opportunity to achieve it. In specific terms to Industrial/Organizational Psychologists, motivation is defined as "Those psychological processes involved with the arousal, direction, intensity, and persistence of voluntary actions that are goal directed" (Mitchell, 1997 as referenced in PSU WC, 2014, L. 1 P. 3). This Wiki explores Abraham H. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs theory, Clayton P. Alderfer's Existence Related Growth (ERG) Theory, and David McClelland's Need Theory, building off of work by Henry A. Murray.

Abraham Maslow

Abraham Maslow was born April 1, 1908, the first of seven born to his poorly educated Jewish immigrant parents (Hoffman, 2008). Encouraged by his parents to seek academic success, he began studying law at the City College of New York. After transferring briefly to Cornell, Maslow returned to New York before marrying and moving to the University of Wisconsin. While attending UW he began his work in psychology, studying the behaviors of rhesus monkeys with Harry Harlow. His influence at this time was Alfred Alder, and Maslow followed similar veins in his work (Hoffman, 2008). Though the objective was to study attachment and dominance behaviors, Maslow noticed the monkeys’ behavior was driven by different sets of needs. This was the underlining basis for the beginning of his interest in personal need and motivation (Boeree, 2006). It should be said that this early research has been thrown into doubt with more recent primate research in regard to the nature of dominance in monkeys and apes (Cullen, 1997). After earning his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Ph.D. in psychology, Maslow returned to New York where he began teaching at Brooklyn College. Additionally, he served as the chair of the psychology department at Brandeis University from 1951 to 1969, during which time he became involved with Kurt Goldstein and his theory of self-actualization, which ultimately led to the development of Maslow’s own Hierarchy of Needs theory (Boeree, 1998, 2006).

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

In 1943, Abraham Maslow developed one of the earliest theories of human motivation, commonly referred to as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. In his classic article "A Theory of Human Motivation.” Maslow utilized the term "prepotent" to express the theory that “in the human being who is missing everything in life in an extreme fashion, it is most likely that the major motivation would be the physiological needs rather than any others" (Maslow, 1943, p. 5). Whittington and Evans (2005), referring to that same article, stated that Maslow presented a "prepotent hierarchy in which at least five sets of needs compose the framework" (p.114). The five sets of needs were divided into two categories: basic needs and higher-order needs. The most basic human needs, represented by food, water, shelter, and safety, are considered essential for human existence. Higher-order needs are those associated with social activities, esteem building, and self-actualization or constant self-improvement. Elaborating further on this theory, Whittington and Evans (2005) stated that "each of these needs operates at all times, although one deficient set dominates the individual at any one time and circumstance" (p.114). The motivation experienced by humans to fulfill these needs is either derived from internal or external factors. Intrinsic motivation is found in people who are influenced by factors that cause a sense of accomplishment and pleasure, while extrinsically motivated people are commonly influenced by factors controlled by others, such as money and praise (Deci & Ryan, 1985). Maslow's hierarchy is commonly displayed in a pyramid fashion, with the basic needs at the bottom and the higher needs at the top. The needs were depicted in this way to show the significance of each need on the others, with the most important and broadest category being the physiological needs.

Cognitive Evaluation Theory

• Allocating extrinsic rewards for behavior that had been previously intrinsically rewarding tends to decrease the overall level of motivation.

Goal -Setting Theory

•          Be sure to note the importance of goal commitment, self-efficacy, task characteristics, and national culture on goal-setting theory.

Management by Objectives ("MBO")

This approach puts goal setting to work.

It is a program that encompasses:

specific goals (tangible, verifiable, measurable)

participatively set

for an explicit time period

with performance feedback on goal progress

MBO operationalizes the concept of objectives by devising a process by which objectives cascade down through the organization.

The result is a hierarchy of objectives that links objectives at one level to those at the next level.

For the individual employee, MBO provides specific personal performance objectives.

Self-Efficacy Theory

Self-efficacy refers to an individual's belief that he or she is capable of performing a task. The higher your self-efficacy, the more confidence you have in your ability to succeed in a task.

Theories of job satisfaction

Job satisfaction theories have a strong overlap with theories explaining human motivation. The most common and prominent theories in this area include: Maslow’s needs hierarchy theory [7]; Herzberg’s [8]motivator-hygiene theory; the Job Characteristics Model [9]; and the dispositional approach [10]. These theories are described and discussed below.

EMOTIONS IN THE WORKPLACE Emotions have a profound effect on almost everything we do in the workplace. This is a strong statement, and one that you would rarely find a decade ago in organizational behaviour research or textbooks. For most of its history, the field of OB assumed that a person’s thoughts and actions are governed primarily by conscious reasoning (called cognitions). Yet, groundbreaking neuroscience discoveries have revealed that our perceptions, decisions, and behaviour are influenced by both cognition and emotion, and that the latter often has the greater influence. By ignoring emotionality, many theories have overlooked a large piece of the puzzle about human behaviour in the workplace. Today, OB scholars and their colleagues in marketing, economics, and many other social sciences, are catching up by making emotions a key part of their research and theories.2 So, what are emotions? Emotions are physiological, behavioural, and psychological episodes experienced toward an object, person, or event that create a state of readiness.3 There are four key elements of this definition. First, emotions are brief events or “episodes.” Your irritation with a customer, for instance, would typically subside within a few minutes. Second, emotions are directed toward someone or something. We experience joy, fear, anger, and other emotional episodes toward tasks, customers, public speeches we present, a software program we are using, and so on. This contrasts with moods, which are less intense emotional states that are not directed toward anything in particular.4 Third, emotions are experiences. They represent changes in a person’s physiological conditions, such as blood pressure, heart rate, and perspiration, as well as changes in behaviour, such as facial expression, voice tone, and eye movement. These emotional reactions are involuntary and often occur without our awareness. 100 PART TWO Individual Behaviour and Processes Copyright © Ted Goff 2001. www.tedgoff.com Used with permission. emotions Psychological and physiological episodes experienced toward an object, person, or event that create a state of readiness. 04-OrgBehaviour-Chap04 1/11/06 9:10 AM Page 100 When aware of these responses, we also develop feelings (worry, fear, boredom) that further mark the emotional experience. The experience of emotion also relates to the fourth element, namely, that emotions put people in a state of readiness. When we get worried, for example, our heart rate and blood pressure increase to make our body better prepared to engage in fight or flight. Emotions are also communications to our conscious selves. Some emotions (e.g., anger, surprise, fear) are particularly strong “triggers” that interrupt our train of thought, demand our attention, and generate the motivation to take action. They make us aware of events that may affect our survival and well-being.

The purpose of this assignment is to apply the motivation and job satisfaction theories to a specific situation. Describe the theories and key assumptions on what motivates people or makes them satisfied. Apply one of the theories to a specific situation related to motivation you have witnessed or experienced professionally. In your paper:
Discuss how useful this theory is in explaining the lack of effort or the high performance of employees. Provide examples of the advantages and disadvantages of this particular theory in explaining employee motivation or job satisfaction. Define each of the major motivation and job satisfaction theories listed: need theories, individual differences, cognitive theories, situational theories, and job satisfaction. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of these theories. Describe and provide details of a specific situation in the workplace related to motivation from your own professional experience. Apply one of the theories to the situation. Organize your paper using the following outline:
Theory Description: Provide a brief description of each theory and the key assumptions underlying each theory. Advantages and Disadvantages of the Theory: Discuss those situations where each theory seems to be very helpful, and those where it does not seem to apply. Where and how would you use each theory to motivate followers or keep them satisfied? Use examples to make your points. Application: Describe how one of the theories could be used to explain the motivation and job satisfaction in the situation you presented.

The relationship between the organisation and its members is influenced by what motivates them to work and the rewards and fulfilment they derive from it. The nature of the work organisation, styles of leadership and the design and content of jobs can have a significant effect on the satisfaction of staff and their levels of performance. The manager needs to know how best to elicit the co-operation of staff and direct their efforts to achieving the goals and objectives of the organisation.

The purpose of the COM 425 Final Paper is to provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of the organizational communication concepts and skills that you have learned throughout this course. Imagine that you are proposing a new communication structure for an organization. Write a formal proposal in which you discuss at least five concepts that you feel are most important for successful communication within an organizational setting. Address why these concepts are necessary for successful communication and how best to implement them within an organization. Examples of concepts that you may choose to use are: active listening, organizational culture, conflict resolution, key principles of human communication, leadership strategies, formal and informal communication, etc. Your information for this paper should not be based on your own opinions; you must back up your information with research. The research may include readings from this course or from outside sources. In total, your paper must include at least five (5) sources with at least two (2) from ProQuest, which can be found in the Ashford Online Library. This is a formal paper and should include proper grammar, complete sentences, appropriate paragraphs, and correct citations/references in proper APA style. Along with explaining the communication concepts and including the research, you can also use your personal experiences toexplain the research that you are presenting in your paper. NOTE: A full sentence outline of this assignment will be submitted during Week Three. You will receive feedback on your outline so that you can make improvements before you submit your final paper in Week Five. The paper must be eight to ten pages in length (excluding title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style. You must use at least five scholarly resources (two of which must be found in the Ashford Online Library) other than the textbook to support your claims and subclaims. Cite your resources in text and on the reference page. For information regarding APA samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center, within the Learning Resources tab on you’re the left navigation toolbar, in your course.

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