The Motivation of People in Organizations

Posted on April 09, 2024 by Martin Hahn, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.

Motivation is concerned with goal-directed behavior. People are motivated to do something if they think it will be worth their while. The process of motivation is initiated by someone recognizing an unsatisfied need. A goal is then established which, it is thought, will satisfy that need, and a course of action is determined which is expected to lead towards the attainment of that goal.

Basically, management and managers motivate people by providing means for them to satisfy their unsatisfied needs. This can be done by offering incentives and rewards for achievement and effort. But the needs of individuals and the goals associated with them vary so widely that it is difficult, if not impossible, to predict precisely how a particular incentive or reward will affect individual behavior.

Types of Motivation

Motivation at work can take place in two ways. First, people can motivate themselves by seeking, finding and carrying out work which satisfies their needs or at least leads them to expect that their goals will be achieved. Second, people can be motivated by management through such methods as pay, promotion, praise, etc.

These two types of motivation are described as:

■ Intrinsic motivation: the self-generated factors which influence people to behave in a particular way or to move in a particular direction. These factors include responsibility (feeling the work is important and having control over one’s own resources), freedom to act, scope to use and develop skills and abilities, interesting and challenging work, and opportunities for advancement.

■ Extrinsic motivation: what is done to or for people to motivate them. This includes rewards such as increased pay, praise or promotion; and punishments, such as disciplinary action, withholding pay or criticism.

The extrinsic motivators can have an immediate and powerful effect, but this will not necessarily last for long. The intrinsic motivators, which are concerned with the quality of working life, are likely to have a deeper and longer-term effect because they are inherent in individuals and not imposed from outside.

Basic Concepts of Motivation

The basic concepts of motivation are concerned with needs, goals, reinforcement and expectations.

Needs

Needs theory states that behavior is motivated by unsatisfied needs. The key needs associated with work are those for achievement, recognition, responsibility, influence and personal growth.

Goals

Goal theory states that motivation will be increased if goal-setting techniques are used with the following characteristics:

■ The goals should be specific.

■ They should be challenging but reachable.

■ They should be seen as fair and reasonable.

■ Individuals should participate fully in goal-setting.

■ Feedback ensures that people feel pride and satisfaction from the experience of achieving a challenging but fair goal.

■ Feedback is used to gain commitment to even higher goals.

Reinforcement

Reinforcement theory suggests that success in achieving goals and rewards acts as positive incentives and reinforce the successful behavior, which is repeated the next time a similar need arises.

Creating the right climate

It is necessary to create a climate which will enable high motivation to flourish. This is a matter of managing the culture. The aims would be to reinforce values concerning performance and competence; second, to emphasize norms (accepted ways of behavior) relating to the ways in which people are managed and rewarded; and third, to demonstrate the organization’s belief in empowerment or providing people with the scope and ‘space’ to exercise responsibility and use their abilities to the full. Without the right climate, quick fixes designed to improve motivation, such as performance-related pay, are unlikely to have much of an impact on overall organizational effectiveness, although they may work with some individuals. Goal-setting, feedback and reinforcement Goal-setting, feedback and reinforcement can all contribute to high motivation and they are all within your control.

Managing expectations

It is necessary to manage expectations. No reward offered through an incentive, bonus or performance-related pay scheme will be effective as a motivator unless individuals believe it is worthwhile and can reasonably expect to obtain it through their own efforts. Similarly, people are more likely to be motivated if they know that their achievements will be recognized.

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