We often hear managers complain that their workers are not "motivated." However, I remind them that people do what they are motivated to do and they do not do what they are not motivated to do. Fortunately, most employees are motivated with paychecks (the carrot) and do not need much more motivation. There are some employees, unfortunately, that require more effort to motivate in becoming productive and efficient.
Motivation is the drive that compels someone to act because someone else is directing them toward a goal. You can say that motivation is the ability to change behavior. Motivation that comes from inside the person to control their behavior is known as intrinsic motivation. Examples of intrinsic motivation are personal development and personal satisfaction. Motivation that come from external factors such as rewards or the threat of punishment is extrinsic motivation.
Everyone is motivated with a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. People with high intrinsic motivation tend to do better on the job. Job postings often say that they are looking for "self starters." This means that they are looking for people with high levels of intrinsic motivation and they do not want employees they always have to dangle the proverbial carrot in front of to get things done.
The term motivation comes from the Latin word that means to move. Motivation can be broadly defined as the forces acting on or within a person that cause goal directed voluntary action. An important function of management is to help make work a satisfying and rewarding place and to keep employee motivation aligned with the companies mission and goals.
According to needs theory, humans are motivated to satisfy their intrinsic needs which, according to Maslow, are physiological (food, drink, sleep, etc.), security (feeling of safe and secure), belonging (the need for family, friends, intimacy, and acceptance), esteem (usefulness, importance, meaningfulness, and status), and self-actualization (reaching their potential). Others have simplified this to what a person needs to exist, the need for relationships, and the need to grow in every area of life. Humans, therefore, are basically motivated to meet their needs.
When motivating people with promise of rewards, Victor Vroom believed that people are motivated by more than merely the reward. He believed that there were other factors that come into play, that there are "expectations" people have about whether those outcomes can realistically be achieved and if they will be satisfying. These expectations can be explained:
1. People must believe that they can perform well enough to get what they are offered.
2. People must believe that they will actually obtain what it is they have been offered.
3. People must believe that what is offered will actually be satisfying.
I believe that when a person is faced with a choice to do something, regardless of what it is, they basically ask themselves two things.
Do I have the ability to do it?
When a person is asked to do something, they mentally see if they can do it. Do I have the physical or mental capacity to do it? Do I have the financial resources? Do I have a scheduling conflict?
What is the reward or payoff for doing it?
People seldom do things they do not want to do. The reward of doing the task has to overcome any objection to doing the task.
Someone asks you to go on a fishing trip with a group of people that you don't know. Your first reaction is to say no because you are not fond of fishing and you will be uncomfortable around strangers, but a really good friend has asked you and you don't want to disappoint them. First you consider the logistics. You do not have a scheduling conflict, you have the resources, and you are physically able to go fishing. If going fishing is that undesirable, you may make up excuses not to go--I have plans that day, I have a hair appointment that day, etc. Once that you determine that there are no legitimate reasons for saying "no," then you begin looking at the pros and cons to determine the level of motivation for going.
Your thinking might go like this: "I don't like to fish, but I love to camp. I might make some real good friends. If I don't go, I will be home by myself." Soon, you have found adequate positive rewards to make the task rewarding enough to say yes.
On the other hand, if you really love fishing, you might even rearrange your schedule to go. When a task is very rewarding, people go to great lengths to do them. I have seen people quit jobs because the motivation to do something was great enough to restructure their lives.
Assessment
1. Are you more intrinsically or extrinsically motivated to do your job? (Do you want to do well at work because it feels good or because you are working for a paycheck?)
2. Are you intrinsically motivated enough to do tasks that are required, but you don't like to do?
3. Do your supervisors or managers have difficulty in motivating you to do your job?
4. What can you do to increase your internal motivation?
Everyone is motivated with a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. People with high intrinsic motivation tend to do better on the job. Job postings often say that they are looking for "self starters." This means that they are looking for people with high levels of intrinsic motivation and they do not want employees they always have to dangle the proverbial carrot in front of to get things done.
The term motivation comes from the Latin word that means to move. Motivation can be broadly defined as the forces acting on or within a person that cause goal directed voluntary action. An important function of management is to help make work a satisfying and rewarding place and to keep employee motivation aligned with the companies mission and goals.
According to needs theory, humans are motivated to satisfy their intrinsic needs which, according to Maslow, are physiological (food, drink, sleep, etc.), security (feeling of safe and secure), belonging (the need for family, friends, intimacy, and acceptance), esteem (usefulness, importance, meaningfulness, and status), and self-actualization (reaching their potential). Others have simplified this to what a person needs to exist, the need for relationships, and the need to grow in every area of life. Humans, therefore, are basically motivated to meet their needs.
When motivating people with promise of rewards, Victor Vroom believed that people are motivated by more than merely the reward. He believed that there were other factors that come into play, that there are "expectations" people have about whether those outcomes can realistically be achieved and if they will be satisfying. These expectations can be explained:
1. People must believe that they can perform well enough to get what they are offered.
2. People must believe that they will actually obtain what it is they have been offered.
3. People must believe that what is offered will actually be satisfying.
I believe that when a person is faced with a choice to do something, regardless of what it is, they basically ask themselves two things.
Do I have the ability to do it?
When a person is asked to do something, they mentally see if they can do it. Do I have the physical or mental capacity to do it? Do I have the financial resources? Do I have a scheduling conflict?
What is the reward or payoff for doing it?
People seldom do things they do not want to do. The reward of doing the task has to overcome any objection to doing the task.
Someone asks you to go on a fishing trip with a group of people that you don't know. Your first reaction is to say no because you are not fond of fishing and you will be uncomfortable around strangers, but a really good friend has asked you and you don't want to disappoint them. First you consider the logistics. You do not have a scheduling conflict, you have the resources, and you are physically able to go fishing. If going fishing is that undesirable, you may make up excuses not to go--I have plans that day, I have a hair appointment that day, etc. Once that you determine that there are no legitimate reasons for saying "no," then you begin looking at the pros and cons to determine the level of motivation for going.
Your thinking might go like this: "I don't like to fish, but I love to camp. I might make some real good friends. If I don't go, I will be home by myself." Soon, you have found adequate positive rewards to make the task rewarding enough to say yes.
On the other hand, if you really love fishing, you might even rearrange your schedule to go. When a task is very rewarding, people go to great lengths to do them. I have seen people quit jobs because the motivation to do something was great enough to restructure their lives.
Assessment
1. Are you more intrinsically or extrinsically motivated to do your job? (Do you want to do well at work because it feels good or because you are working for a paycheck?)
2. Are you intrinsically motivated enough to do tasks that are required, but you don't like to do?
3. Do your supervisors or managers have difficulty in motivating you to do your job?
4. What can you do to increase your internal motivation?
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