WORKPLACE MOTIVATION
DR. ANGELA DIONISI
BUSI 2101
Monday, February 5th 2024
Workplace Motivation
The extent to which persistent effort is directed towards
a goal……
The psychological forces that determine the direction of
people’s behaviour, their level of effort, and their level
of persistence.
Effort - how had a person is trying
Persistence - How long a person keeps
on trying
Direction - what a person is trying to do / where they
are directing their efforts
Approaches to
Workplace Motivation
Needs Based Theories
_______________________
WHAT
• Focus on ________
motivates employees (e.g. Maslow;
Alderfer; McClelland)
individuals have needs that create
• Based on assumption that __________________
internal tensions they are motivated to eliminate
______________________________________________
Approaches to
Workplace Motivation
Process
____________
Theories
HOW motivation is evoked (e.g., Goal-Setting
• Focus on _______
Theory)
• What can ______________/
How should leaders and
organizations
behave
employees ______________
to evoke motivation?
Scientific Management Theory
Ø Applying science to work
Ø Saw customized, self-styled work
as a serious productivity problem
Ø Popularized “Time and Motion”
studies
Ø Wanted to find the “one right way”
to do every single task
Frederick Taylor
Scientific Management Theory
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
Late 1700s to late 1800s
• INDUSTRY = WORK
• REVOLUTION = RAPID CHANGE
Ø
From farms to factories
Ø
From small shops to large stores
Scientific Management Theory
“Time and Motion” studies
² Reduce the amount of time
² Reduce the number of motions
• Break each task into
small steps
• Standardize each step
• Proscribe universal
protocols
Scientific Management Theory
efficiency, productivity, and output
• Entire focus on _____________________________
• Workers seen as little more than “physical labor” that
incentivized
needed to be ________________
• The concept of
employee moral
________________
did not exist
Motivation = Money
² __________________
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
5 types
• Human beings are driven by ______of
different levels
needs that reside on ____________
satisfied
• Once a need becomes _________,
the
dominant
next level becomes ____________
• Factors at higher (or lower!) levels than one is on, are
not motivating
___________
• Lower-Order needs
Ø Psychological &
Safety needs
Ø Satisfied Externally
vs.
Higher- order needs
Ø Social, esteem, &
self-actualization
Ø Satisfied Internally
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
1. Physiological needs. Needs that must be satisfied for
the person to survive
pay
(Organizational contribution -- e.g., __________)
2. Safety needs. Need for security, stability, and a structured
and ordered environment
safe working conditions
(Organizational contribution -- e.g., ___________________
job security
__________________)
3. Belongingness needs. Need for social interaction, affection,
love, and friendship
friendly and supportive supervision
(Organizational contribution -- e.g., ____________________
teamwork
__________________)
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
4. Esteem needs. Need for feelings of adequacy,
independence, and appreciation / recognition by others
promotions
(Organizational contribution -- e.g., ____________)
5. Self-actualization needs. Need to develop one’s true
potential as an individual, to the fullest extent possible
development opportunities;
(Organizational contribution -- e.g. ______________
creative expressions
____________________________________)
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
BUT WAIT!!!
Very little empirical support!
Ø Individuals allocate resources
to high-order needs when
lower-order needs have not
been satisfied
Ø Not all people experience need
categories in the same order…
or sequentially
Ø Does not replicate across
cultures
Reinforcement
______________:
Modifying employees’ behaviour through the
rewards and punishments
straegic use of immediate ___________________
law of effect / principle of operant conditioning
• Governed by the ________________________
_____________________: Behaviour is a function of consequences
Ø Reinforced behaviour is repeated
Ø Behaviour that is not reinforced is not repeated
• Techniques can be / are often
used in tandem
Positive Reinforcement
• __________________
leads to higher
performance, well-being, and affective /
relational benefits among employees
Types of Reinforcement
Positive Reinforcement:
Negative Reinforcement:
Give pleasant consequences( i.e. reward)
following desired behaviour
Withdraw unpleasant consequences
following desired behavior
Extinction:
Punishment:
Withdraw pleasant consequences
following undesired behaviour
Give unpleasant consequences undesired
behaviour
Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic Motivation
Extrinsic Motivation
___________________:
engage in an activity to achieve a
separate goal, such as receiving something positive or avoiding
something negative (i.e. pay, benefits, punishment)
-Motivation lies outside the person / activity = externally applied
-Behaviour is a means to an end
Intrinsic Motivation
_________________
: engage in an activity for the inherent
satisfaction and pleasure derived from the activity (i.e. feelings
of achievement, accomplishment, challenge)
-Motivation lies inside the person / activity
-Behavior is an end itself
From Theory to Practice:
The Role of Money
Does money motivate?!
YES
-Money is the vehicle by which important needs are satisfied
-Money is tied to our self esteem / sense of worth
-Money is a social commodity (affords us status, power, prestige).
-People say / believe money motivates them
From Theory to Practice:
The Role of Money
Does money motivate?!
No
To be a motivator:
- Money must be important to the person
-Money must be perceived as being a direct reward for performance
-Managers must have discretion to reward performance with more money
From Theory to Practice:
The Role of Money
Cautions…
Equity Theory and Social Comparisons
• _______________________
(In) Justice Perceptions
• _______________________
-Resentment
-Competition
-Reduced Motivation
-Workplace deviance / aggresion
Distributive Justice
Ø ________________:
Perceived fairness concerning the amount and
allocation of rewards among individuals.
Procedural Justice
Ø _________________:
Perceived fairness concerning the process
used to determine the distribution of rewards.
Interactional Justice
Ø ________________:
Degree to which one perceives that they are
treated with respect and dignity.
From Theory to Practice:
Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic Motivators
Cautions…
• Extrinsic motivators may work in some cases, but not in
and may actually be damaging
others…_______________________!
Extrinsic motivators work well in…..
Ø Structured, routinized, and repetitive tasks
Intrinsic motivators work well in…..
Ø Unstructured, creative, problem-solving tasks
Why?
• Functional Fixedness
From Theory to Practice:
Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic Motivators
Cautions…
Cognitive Evaluation Theory
• ________________________:
Offering extrinsic rewards (e.g.,
money) for work that was previously rewarding intrinsically, will
decrease the person’s motivation, and in turn, his/her performance.
Ø Reduces sense of control / autonomy
Ø Changes perceived explanation for one's
behaviour / cheapens the experience
Fostering Intrinsically
Motivating Jobs
Leading for Choice
__________________
Leading for Competence
____________________
• Delegate authority
• Empower / trust employees
• Provide information employees
will need to make good choices
• Instill sense of security (i.e., no
punishment) for honest mistakes
• Knowledge / Skill building
Leading for Meaningfulness
____________________
Leading for Progress
______________________
• Communicating organizational
vision/ mission
• Access to output
• Consider person-job and/or
person-organization fit
• A non-cynical climate
• “Whole” tasks
• Celebrations
• Milestones
• Feedback / performance
measures
• Assign challenging tasks
• Implement high standards
• Support & mentor employees /
provide positive feedback
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