Articles on Motivation

Motivation is derived from the word - motive - which means needs, desires, wants or drives within the individuals. Motivation is the process of stimulating people to actions to accomplish the goals.

Human behavior is goal-directed. Motivation cause goal-directed behaviour. It is through motivation that needs can be handled and tackled purposely. This can be understood by understanding the hierarchy of needs by manager.

Incentive is an act or promise for greater action. It is also called as a stimulus to greater action. Incentives are something which are given in addition to wagers.

Motivation is a very important for an organization because of the benefits it provides. All the benefits are discussed in detail.

While motivation is an individual concept, morale is a group concept. Thus, motivation takes into consideration the individual differences among the employees, and morale of the employees can be increased by taking those factors into consideration which influence group scenario or total work settings.

Organizational success depends on the collective efforts of employees. The employees will collectively contribute to organizational growth when they are motivated.

I am in this job because I have no other choice. If this is what an employee of your company feels, read on to know how this statement can be changed to something more positive - I love what I do

Self-motivation is a power that drives us to keep moving ahead. It encourages continuous learning and success, whatever be the scenario. Self-motivation is a primary means of realizing our goals and progressing.

A group heading towards a common objective will perform best when it is motivated as a team. Team motivation is determined by how well the team members needs and requirements are met.

This article discusses the aspects that motivate employees from the organizational perspective. The key theme in this article is that a number of factors apart from the salary and benefits motivate employees and hence, the HR managers and the senior leadership must consider these when designing policies. The article also makes a case for organizations letting employees find their niche instead of forcing them to work in roles where they are not motivated.

Motivation seems to be a simple function of management in books, but in practice it is more challenging. The reasons for motivation being challenging job arediscussed in detail

High motivation leads to high morale and greater production. A motivated employee gives his best to the organization. A sound motivation system in an organization should have the following features.

The motivation concepts were mainly developed around 1950’s. Three main theories were made during this period. These three classical theories are discussed in detail.

Abraham Maslow is well renowned for proposing the Hierarchy of Needs Theory in 1943. This theory is a classical depiction of human motivation. This theory is based on the assumption that there is a hierarchy of five needs within each individual.

In 1959, Frederick Herzberg, a behavioural scientist proposed a two-factor theory or the motivator-hygiene theory. According to Herzberg, there are some job factors that result in satisfaction while there are other job factors that prevent dissatisfaction.

In 1960, Douglas McGregor formulated Theory X and Theory Y suggesting two aspects of human behaviour at work, or in other words, two different views of individuals (employees): one of which is negative, called as Theory X and the other is positive, so called as Theory Y.

All modern / contemporary theories of motivation are well supported with evidences. Some of the contemporary / modern theories of motivation are explained below.

To bring Maslows need hierarchy theory of motivation in synchronization with empirical research, Clayton Alderfer redefined it in his own terms. His rework is called as ERG theory of motivation.

David McClelland proposed McClelland’s theory of Needs / Achievement Motivation Theory. This theory states that human behaviour is affected by three needs - Need for Power, Achievement and Affiliation.

In 1960s, Edwin Locke put forward the Goal-setting theory of motivation. This theory states that goal setting is essentially linked to task performance.

Reinforcement theory of motivation was proposed by BF Skinner and his associates. It states that individuals behaviour is a function of its consequences.

According to Equity Theory of Motivation, an individuals motivation level is correlated to his perception of equity, fairness and justice practiced by the management.

The expectancy theory was proposed by Victor Vroom of Yale School of Management in 1964. Vroom stresses and focuses on outcomes, and not on needs unlike Maslow and Herzberg.

This article uses the movie Yuva as a Case Study to explain the Need Theory of Motivation. The three needs are nAch, nAff, and nPow, and we use examples from the movie, campuses, and our careers to let the readers know the Need Theory works in practice. This article also helps the readers in breaking down the Need Theory to Basics of how it works as well as how it plays out during the course of our lives.

This article ties in the theoretical concept of Intrinsic Motivation to Real World Challenges due to the Pandemic. While using theory, we also illustrate how Inner Motivators are more than ever important in the present times with reference to the growing trend of the Great Resignation or the instances of employees quitting en masse. We examine how each stakeholder can play a part in navigating this Epochal Times.

It is clear that the Post Pandemic Workforce is facing a crisis. With the Great Resignation and the Burnout of Younger workers becoming the norm, Business Leaders are worried and rightly so. How do they motivate their employees to remain engaged and productive? Motivation Theories can be used here and this article applies the theories of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation to uncover insights into how this generation of the workforce can be helped in a formative phase of their careers.