Category: Motivation

Introduction

Both group and individual motivation are concepts used by organizations to explain social dynamisms in an organization. In either case, motivation is the driving force that directs and maintains behavior on a particular path that its purposefully intended to draw specific results desired by the individual or the organization.

As such, motivation plays an important role in teams effort by directing productive energy dissipated by workers toward achieving organizations goals and objective outlined by the various plans. Dyer and Parker(source not listed on the list of references  see bibliography) developed refined concepts of motivation by distinguishing inborn or intrinsic motivation from motivations set by the workplace environment termed as extrinsic motivation. Three aspects of the individuals motivation identified by Bandura in 1986 include, one in which job-environs conditions resonates with the individual behavior such as industriousness, work enthusiasm and determination. The other aspect is seen as a scenario in which group behavior produces responses that are typically innate to the individuals behavior. In yet another incidence related to intrinsic motivation, is a natural condition where a personal self-assessment mechanism is functioning in the work place environment. Just like the organizational pursuits for success, the employees search for productive work is as a never ending expedition that is less dependent on team motivation due to in-born factors.

On the other hand, extrinsic motivation is the kind of motivation that is induced by managers to their employees for performing activities that may never be a natural part of the individual or group functioning. For example, when a company trains people to form teams that serve in the functioning of an organization, the employees are bound to acquire certain aspects of orientation that is not naturally their part of their normal behavior. Consequently, the group socialization in the workplace environment facilitates the individuals response to tools of motivation available to managers. Hence, extrinsic motivation is produced by financial rewards, organizations objectives, nature of the work job description, responsibility and its recognition as well.

There are various techniques of indentifying motivational benefits. Ultimately, all benefits are designed to improve organizations performance while minimizing possible risks which the organization may be predisposed to encounter in its path to achieving them. Some benefits are tangible while others may not necessarily be associated with the tangible properties. Depending on the situation, a manager can use either physical rewards or words as media of motivation. Some benefits of motivation are discussed in this essay. Besides, certain advantages of using teams in organizations are also evaluated before a concrete conclusion is drawn based on the relationship of group motivation in the workplace. The essay develops from a critical assessment of behaviors of motivated employees against companies objectives in order to identify the limitations associated with using groups in various organizations. In its totality, extensive revisions on peer reviewed articles are used in the analysis of this content, thus making secondary sources the main basis of the arguments. The concluding comments draw from the main view in the content and attempts to resolve some of the major limitations of using teams in an organizations and possible risks involved in motivational benefits.

Motivational Benefits

Motivation is considered as one of the most abstract duties of managers because of its complexity in the in which humans would wish to be motivated. Ways and forms of motivation vary from person to person as it depends on the intrinsic values of the individual. Even in a group, the degree of group influence on the morale of its members depends on the individuals perception of the activity and how it is supposed to be done. Though such circumstances mean employing various forms and techniques of motivation, the final outcomes of motivations are the same. A major benefit of staff motivation is to have a dedicated staff that can use not only their knowledge and experience on the job, but also exploiting their talents and arrange of skills gathered from different sources. To this effect, managers and organizations may need to put their staff on training in the disciplines related to their interests. As such, the employees will be motivated to inject their relevance in the organizations system by performing their roles more efficiently (Sharbrough, 2006, p. 323)

In order to achieve its goals, the organization can use tools at its disposal like employee promotion based on some agreed merit (work related experience and knowledge) rather than social influence to motivate employees to do better job. In this manner, organizations motivate workers to seek activities that will lead them to promotion on the job. For example, workers may be more responsible, engage in multi-tasking duties in the company and enroll in programs that would make them more productive for the company. Motivations in the forms of increased pay, provision for allowances and bonuses have been found to enhance the productivity of on organization per worker. Enormous desired outcomes are usually accompanied with vacations or holiday grants particularly in a busy work environment where employees are under pressure to deliver on their goals in timely manner. The efficiency of teams is therefore more than doubled after motivations resulting from these rewards; Team leaders are often observed to act promptly while group members develop enthusiasm on the task assigned to them by their managers. It was noted by Wittmer that workers feel more appreciated when their efforts are rewarded by allowances. Psychologically, this monetary reward is different from their usual pay and carries with it the weight of company liability to their position as employees. Similarly, employee motivation through pay rise often leads to more work in the organization. General studies indicate a direct correlation between monetary rewards as a form of motivation and the level of work participation (Wittmer, 1991). In these findings, workers were found to spend more time working in organizations that offered additional payment for employees working overtime. In his observation, Bottger note that pay rise has the same effect on the workers, a fact that leads to increased organizations output (Wittmer, 1991, p.13).

Other views suggest that a significant number of employees equally value complements or non-material/tangible forms of motivations, these include, people who attach meaning to their work by considering it as a calling rather than just a mere employment aimed at making ends meet at the end of the day. In the verge of such motivations dwindling due uncertainties in the work environment, managers have only complements-words of encouragement as the possible resolute to their predicament. Because the productivity of such works is largely dependent on intrinsic motivation, their benefit to the organization becomes significant in motivating other workers through their leadership roles. It is no coincidence that organizations find that employees of this kind readily practice the organizations principle. Self-determination theory attributed to the works of Edward Deci and Self efficacy developed by Dr. Bandura indicates that intrinsic motivation leads to greater appreciation of an individuals effort for their deliberate actions which may have good impression on the company. Therefore, working with teams where these kinds of employees are dominant often leads to much success in the organization especially in the sales and marketing departments. In this case, the most suitable form of motivations include attaching prizes to achievement and the winning team is guaranteed victory in pubic celebration on a time set by the organization(Bandura, 1986, p.303)

Because pride associated with the achievement of the company goals is their source of motivation, this type of workers may not consider material incentives as of much importance. Therefore, this way of motivating staff actually helps the company minimize its operational cost while positioning it closer to its goals by the actions of these motivated workers. Groups and individuals working for organizations that perpetuate their ideals are also readily motivated by non-material incentives. In such circumstances, the work environment has already made it possible for them to carry out their duties. With minimal external motivation which include group outdoor expeditions sponsored the organizations may be the only necessary form of motivation leading to efficiency of the workers. In addition, norm-based motivation improves the attitudes of employees toward their jobs (Levi, 2007, p.148).

Wittmer (1991) noted that rational motivation leads to more responsible employees. These employees display constant desire to participate in the organizations making process. Further more, this kind of enthusiastic persons show a lot of commitment to particular organizations projects because they identify with it either as a career or simply a relevant field of interest. In other cases, a combination of the pursuits for organizational goals and the spirit of philanthropy in affectively motivated staff, helps move an organizations operation from current frontier where it can embark on corporate social obligation and find more relevance in the society. This way, motivation leads to reduced costs of marketing and improves the reputation of the organization while still keeping an affront production within it existing means. An organizations success is normally dependent upon, increasing productivity and efficiency. To this effect, altruistic motivation helps companies to seek the highest goal as it maintains the directed force towards the long-term or short-term plans sought by the organization (Wittmer, 1991, p. 14)

In a study of 421 managers to test their willingness to adopt IT, it was found out that motivation based on their individual belief and desire to fulfill certain environmental requirements led them to accepting the idea (Stein 1974). According to Herzbergs two factor theory, both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators act as catalysts toward the perceptions that subordinates in an organization use to demand for challenging tasks, recognition and responsibility which they then consider as satisfaction in the end. Psychologists therefore argue that intrinsic motivation plays a role behind the hygiene factors identified by Herzberg as leading to no satisfaction. Therefore, to exploit the marginal revenues, organizations may need to emphasize staff motivation. In the theory of Abraham Maslow, if a company focuses on motivating the staff through rewarding them by what they need most in the organizations early days, then this is followed by a commensurate effort by staff on assignments issued by the organization. The employees tend to feel that the organizations management is bent on seeking their own good. In return, they reciprocate by performing the duties of the organization effectively with more enthusiasm. In a nutshell, the benefits of employees motivation are as numerous as the sources of motivation can be. Hence, every manager may require motivating his workers at any one time. It is generally agreed that motivated workers always seek relevance in the organization with objectives to provide quality job (Choudrie, J & Zahir, V. 2002, p. 13)

Demerits of using groups in organizations

The use of groups in an organization undermines individuals creativity and autonomy. By putting people to work together, the managers are only able to explore only cognitive abilities of the employee. Consequently, the company may lose the benefits which accrue to it due to development in socio-economic diversity. In group composition, sometimes even the cohesiveness of the team is almost impaired because it draws members from diverse array of personality backgrounds. Kellerman observed that there can only be a non-linear relationship between group involvement in the individual properties and groups in the organization. In reality, a homogenous team that suits an organizations functions is non existent; teams formed by managers to act as a task force may sometimes get involved in long discussions sometimes disagreeing even on non-issues to their tasks. Eventually, are not applicable in areas where an organization needs to meet certain goals urgently. The effectiveness is normally dependent upon the group structure. In contrast, the leadership and group size are some of the leading limiting factors to the group formation because intergroup competition combined with the group rewards is a source of competition for many individuals within the same organization. Most groups are formed to facilitate the decision making processes of the organization. Unfortunately, Kellerman found that even in groups where members are required to ponder upon problems raised, individuals would still generate very few ideas. The main problem in this respect is in the coordination mechanism of the groups themselves (Wittmer, 1991, p. 110)

There are many instances where teams are set up by organizations to facilitate the decision making process of the organization. In such a case, the organizations liability may be limited to the group members who may run into conflict due its individual perceptions about risk taking. Worse still, the organizations plight is made more challenging by the fact that it emphasizes extrinsic motivation in monetary terms as opposed to intrinsic motivations. Lack of cohesiveness and too much diversity may also lead to conflict in the group. In the event that this occurs, the group risks low output. It is equally challenging for an organization to focus on group motivation through emphasizing the same old way of working instead of the end results (Kellerman, 2007, p. 85).

The general out come of a group based think tank in an organization may be reduced to the group thinking if the group agrees to unanimously endorse an idea without significant empirical evidence. Therefore, instead of a company obtaining an objective perspective of solving the problem, the company ends up with a subjective opinion of the group members. Group functions also present strong sense conformity because subordinates do not want to confront their bosses by telling that they are knowledgeable. At the same time, the bosses want to reassure their position by showing their expertise proposing resolution for the organizations plans. In the end the outcome is never a true reflection of the groups intention at all. This can be very detrimental if it leads to losses because the group can fail to take responsibility of the liabilities it can be realized long after the group was resolved (King, &, Anderson, N. 1990, p. 88).

Quite often, people acting in groups may make extremely radical decisions which may have adverse effects when implemented in the organization leading to group polarization. In addition, it is expensive for the organization to employ groups in its activities because it requires more money to pay for the members allowances, and other extrinsic rewards besides their basic salaries. In addition, group facilitation requires extra facilities and space that may not be readily available in the organization. Consequently, the costs of the organizations are likely to be expensive in the long run.

Using teams in an organization is bound to cause competition, due to the rewards associated with the winning teams, unhealthy or unfair completion when the organizations rewards motivates individuals in the group and not just the group alone. Lack of objective purpose is a common problem in groups caused by conspicuous absence of the group leader or one such potential leader. This usually led to vague decisions or quite ambiguous plans to carryout. The company therefore ends up with the risk of great losses even collapse if the organization was left in the hand of the groups in totality. Individual group members with over ambitious behavior may take this opportunity by imposing their view on the others while claiming that others arguments are extremely flowed. Eventually, they may end up leading the group because of fake tactics used as a ploy by arrogantly showing their expertise and prowess. Furthermore, competition usually wears out the morale of unintended staff who may not participate in the activities as required by the organization (Deci, E. & Ryan, R. 2000, p. 28)

Conclusions

Worker motivation is an important part of an organizations role because it is a requisite to achieving the goals and objectives of the organization as outlined in its strategic plans. Both extrinsic and intrinsic motivations are important for the organization. Though studies indicate that managers keen to recognize individuals with intrinsic motives relevant to their organization tap more of their employees potential as opposed to managers who recruit haphazardly. Despite of many limitations of using groups in an organization, there are a myriad of advantages of using groups in effectively planning and executing company goals, from which these drawbacks stem.

Reference

Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Bottger, P.C. & Yetton, P.W. (198)7. Improving Group Performance by Training in Individual Problem Solving. Journal of Applied Psychology, 72, 651-657

Choudrie, J. And Zahir, V.(2002) Teams and their Motivation for Business Process Reengineering: A Research Note. The International Journal of Flexible Manufacturing Systems, 14, 99-107.. (I think this journal volume should be 14, 99-107)

Deci, E. L, & Ryan, R. M. (2000). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: Classic definitions and new directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 7, 14-23.

Dyer, L. & Donald, F. (1975). Classifying outcomes in work motivation research: An examination of the intrinsic-extrinsic dichotomy. Journal of Applied Psychology. 60(4), 455-458.

George, J. M., & Jones, G. R. (2008). Understanding and Managing Organizational Behavior (5th Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson-Prentice Hall.

Kellerman, B. (2007). What every leader needs to know about followers. Harvard BusinessReview, 85, 84-91.

King, N. & Anderson, N. (1990). Innovation in Working Groups. pp.81-100. Chichester, England: Wiley. I think these should be separated.

Levi, D. (2007). Dynamics for Teams, 2nd edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Sharbrough, W.C., Simmons, S.A., & Cantrill, D.A. (2006).Motivating language in industry: Its Impact on Job Satisfaction and Perceived Supervisor Effectiveness. Journal of Business Communication, 43(4), 322-343.

Stein, M.I. 1974. Stimulating Creativity, Vol 1. New York: Academic Press.

Wittmer, D. (1991). Managerial Values in Public, Private, and Hybrid Organizations. Personnel Research Highlights, 3, 13-14.

Executive Summary

The case Berkshire Industries PLC gives a detailed examination of the situations that led to the introduction of a new incentive plan capable of meeting the demands of both workers and shareholders. The company had grappled with various challenges before, such as the ineffectiveness of the original reward plans and the inability to remain prepared for future changes and uncertainties in the industry (Merchant & Van der Stede, 2017). The existing issues led to a new plan suggested by Corey, Langfeldt, and Associates (LCA). The implementation of the economic profit-based incentive plan received the support of most of the decision-makers. Professionals in the field of management seemed to embrace the idea by referring to it as revolutionary and capable of meeting the demands of all key stakeholders.

However, the system triggered additional challenges within a period of two years, such as the recorded disparity between the gains of the managers and those of the shareowners, reduction in stock prices, and poor performance in the Spirits Division. These problems emerged at a time when some of the managers were receiving competitive returns or bonuses based on the accrued profits. These issues presented serious questions among the key stakeholders at the company (Merchant & Van der Stede, 2017). Some of the leaders were focusing on a superior or better system that was less confusing and capable of meeting the demands of organizational managers and shareowners.

Berkshires Motivations and Main Options

Berkshire wanted to introduce and implement a new incentive system due to various motivations. First, the management press had presented and popularized the economic profit model as revolutionary. Second, the companys board wanted the interests of managers to be aligned with those of the major shareowners. They believed that the existing earnings per share (EPS) model was inappropriate and incapable of delivering desirable results. Third, the relevant board was keen to make the reward system and performance evaluation system more objective (Merchant & Van der Stede, 2017). Such approaches would reduce or do away with the subjectivity associated with the existing systems. With this kind of analysis, it is agreeable that the outlined motivations were reasonable and capable of delivering desirable results. The main options for a new system, therefore, included a model that was objective and the desire to ensure that all shareowners received competitive compensations. The option for the economic profit system sounded promising to the company.

Was the Economic Profit-Focused System Reasonable?

Despite the deliberations and guidelines Berkshire received from the consulting firm, Corey, Langfeldt, and Associates (LCA), the end result was that the economic profit-focused system was not a reasonable choice. The analyzed case study supports such a decision since most of the managers were unable to understand how it worked to support compensation. The model also failed to consider the real demands of the shareowners since it delivered negative outcomes even when the managers were getting positive results (Merchant & Van der Stede, 2017). The overall challenges and concerns recorded at the company revealed that a better and understandable system would be reasonable and capable of delivering the intended results. The model revealed that the company was making profits without necessarily supporting an increment in the overall stock price.

New Incentive Plan and Recommendations

The new incentive plan implemented at Berkshire Industries was aimed at meeting the demands of both the managers and the shareholders. Unfortunately, its promising attributes failed to make a significant difference at the company. Instead, additional problems emerged that had the potential to affect the overall success of the company. Most of the leaders identified it as complex and incapable of providing the intended original goals. Most of the individuals became discouraged, a new managerial confusion emerged, and the recorded stock price was quite low (Merchant & Van der Stede, 2017). These problems explain why a new model is recommendable for the company. A stock-based incentive plan is capable of motivating all managers while ensuring that the recorded stock prices are at par with the profits. The stakeholders and shareowners would find it easier to analyze the recorded gains and eventually achieve their goals.

Special Adjustments for the Spirits Division

The studied case reveals that the Spirits Division faced significant challenges in 2000 and 2001. Personally, I believe that the decision to offer erroneous economic profit figures or bonus payouts for this division could have significant implications on its long-term goals. Such a move would force the company to allocate additions to funds to meet such expenses. Incidentally, most of the beneficiaries of such bonus payouts would not feel the real impacts of such losses during the period in question (Merchant & Van der Stede, 2017). An honest application of the system would make it possible for all key stakeholders to make informed decisions and be aware of the most appropriate changes to the reward system. The best decision would be for Mr. Embleton to avoid making special adjustments to the bonus payouts or economic profit figures for the division.

Reference

Merchant, K. A., & Van der Stede, W. A. (2017). Management control systems performance measurement, evaluation and incentives. Prentice Hall.

Introduction

When we describe motivation, we frequently denote why do a group of individuals behave in a certain way, or how would it be possible to influence them to behave in a different or more specific way? There are in existence various attestations from the field of behavioral sciences, often motivation points out to a psychological concept which is above all involved with maximizing the direction and strength of individuals in the work sector in order to create a higher performance output. Why do we need to motivate employees? The answer is survival (Smith, 1994). Motivating employees is by far the hardest task a manager needs to accomplish simply because the needs of individuals vary and change at any given time Bowen and Radhakrishna (1991). This paper seeks to answer the question as to whether the one best way to increase work motivation for an organization is through financial rewards.

In the old days, employees were merely tools and instruments in a production cycle of goods and services, soon this perception changed most likely due to a research called the Hawthorne Studies in which it was conducted by Elton Mayo during the years of 1924 to 1932 (Dickson, 1973). During the course of the research, it was concluded that humans or employees are not only motivated by money or financial rewards but merely by ones individual attitude (Dickson, 1973). The study created an overall change in how managers dealt with their employees causing a new era of management to begin (Bedeian. 1993)

Motivation, according to Baron (1991), is the internal process that activates, guide and maintain behaviors. A lot of individuals would acknowledge the fact that ones behavior is influenced by the motivation in ones task or work, for instance, if an individual was to be told about receiving a reward for the completion of a certain task then that individual would focus his time an energy on order to obtain that reward. Other writers such as Kanfer (1998) feel that motivation is only about the free will element of behavior& in this quote she implies that rewards have little or nothing do to with an individuals motivation rather it is an individuals qualities that provides motivation. Hersberg (1987) continues the explanation by characterizing motivation as a function of growth from getting intrinsic rewards out of interesting and challenging work.

Being able to grasp the key that motivated employees and how it was caused was the primary focus of various analysts after the concept that was unveiled by the Hawthorne Study results (Terpstra, 1979). There exist 5 concepts that created our awareness of motivation. They include Skinners reinforcement theory, Vrooms expectancy theory, Maslows need-hierarchy theory, Adams equity theory and Herzbergs two-factor theory (HERZEBERG, et al., 2005, p. 126).

Abraham Maslows hierarchy of needs

As stated by Maslow, theyre exists 5 levels of needs for an employee (Maslow, 1943) they consist of physiological, safety, social, ego, and self-actualizing. In his theory, Maslow stated that the lower levels on the need-hierarchy were to be satisfied before moving up to the next level of need, in this approach motivation would be created among the employees.

According to Abraham Maslow, people need to achieve one level of motivation first. Once an individual has attained a given level of satisfaction, it ceases being a motivator and the next level of achievement. For instance, a persons first priority is a psychological level which increases to the next ones such as the safety, social, ego and finally self actualization. This clearly shows that it is not always about money though in the initial stages of satisfaction money plays a significant role on ensuring that these levels of motivations are achieved (Davidson, 2011, p. 89).

In the confinements of Herzbergs study, he placed motivation in two different factors: motivators and hygienes (Herzberg, Mausner, and Synderman, 1959). Motivator or Intrinsic motivation relies on the use of psychological rewards rather that monetary rewards, for instance if an employee has completed a task as instructed he could be rewarded by receiving a certain level of acknowledgment and appreciation that would create job satisfaction Mullin (2007). CEO of FedEx Kinkos Gary Kusin quotes Work is about letting people know they are important, their hard work and efforts matter, and theyre doing a good job. And this kind of recognition, in fact can sometimes be more important than money. Organizations should therefore endeavor to provide the employees with motivators and less hygiene factors that aim at ensuring that their productivity at workplace is kept at all time high (Deci and Ryan, 1985, p. 113).

On the other hand, extrinsic motivation relies on the tangible rewards, which consist of monetary, promotions and various other benefits, extrinsic motivation is primarily determined at the organizational level unlike Intrinsic motivation which in controlled by individual managers Mullin (2007).

Vrooms theory

Vroom came up with a theory that states that employees efforts are aimed at a specific performance and in turn, the performance results in a reward (Laming, 2004, p. 86). The reward may either be negative or positive. Positive rewards lead to a more motivated employee while a negative reward leads to a less motivated employee (Levesque, 2008, p. 244).

Many individuals acknowledge Vrooms (1964) theory which states outcomes which have a high expectancy of being reached (e.g. sale of five cars a week) and the rewards of which are highly valued (e.g. extra commission) will direct people to exert much greater effort in their task, in other words, Vroom highlights the benefits of incentives in order to increase work performance and speed, conversely a task that is done at a much higher pace does not always mean good work quality, this is authenticated by Millers who arranged a test to be given to students and those who completed it quickly would be given financial reward (Levounis and Arnaout, 2010, p. 103). The quote that  those trying to earn the reward made more mistakes than those who werent this brings us back to Barons statement on behaviors, the introduction of an incentive altered the way the individuals were committed to the task, they were more interested in obtaining the reward rather than completing the task.

This method could also have many drawbacks as the employees might become more dependent on the financial benefits of the task rather than on the task itself (Wicker, 2011, p. 118). While this theory states an employee concentrates on the rewards thus it can lead to substandard quality, the issue of high quality standards can be introduced such that a person who does poor work in terms of the set standards receives negative reward (Wlodarczyk, 2011, p. 88). This can therefore be used with other equity theories to ultimately influence the employees behavior and thus their motivation.

Adam theory of motivation

John Stacy Adam, a psychologist, came up with this equity theory that states that motivating individual is a relative rather than absolute factors. As such, an individuals own perception of the work environment is the greatest motivation determinant. This theory together with other equity theories recognizes some variable factors that affect an employees output.

Adam states that employees get motivated if the output matches or exceeds their input into the organization (Wong, 2000, p. 121). On the other hand, they get demotivated if the output fails to match their input. This with other equity theories seek to discredit the Hawthornes research finding that concluded that employees are not motivated by monetary rewards. They put a strong case for a reward mechanism that motivates employees.

Skinners theory

B. F. Skinner was a psychologist who came up with his theory when the world was being dominated by behaviorists such as Ivan Pavlov who claimed that everything that human beings did was triggered by a reflex. Skinner sought to prove that not every human act is triggered by stimuli and, as such, came up with a theory that proposed that an individuals behavior will be determined by the perceived consequence (Wentzel and Wigfield, 2008, p. 209).

If a person perceives a desirable consequence, he/she will tend to repeatedly act in a manner that is likely to enhance the perceived consequence. On the other hand, if an individual perceives a negative outcome, he may want to avoid such a behavior. Managers can use this skinners theory of operant conditioning to manage their employees in a way that the employees will engage in behaviors that will enhance rewards and refrain from negative consequences such as punishment.

Application of motivation theories

The modern day organization management is faced by various challenges that require managers to make decisions that will maximize the output of their employees. As such, the equity theories of motivation can come in handy to help mangers to effectively condition their employees behaviors.

According to Adams theory, the employees input should match the output so that the employee can get the positive motivation to keep on improving the work output. Some examples of inputs from employees are enthusiasm, flexibility, ability to perform his/her duties, loyalty and so on. These are some of the inputs that employees provide to the organization and help in ensuring that their work delivery is of the best standards.

In effect, the employee needs to find output that matches these inputs and ensure that the employees are able to relatively predict the output from their input. An example of some of the outputs includes salary received, job safety, recognition, and so on. It can be clearly seen that of all the outputs, salary ranks the highest and thus remains the best way to increase the employees motivation.

How employees inoculate motivation

On normal occasions, employees compare themselves with their colleagues. If a colleague has less input yet he/ she gets a higher output, they perceive an unfair treatment as compared to their colleagues and as such detect an imbalance between their input and output.

Motivating employees is therefore complicated task since the managers ought to understand the expectations of their employees. This would help them in matching the employees expectation through matching their inputs and expected outputs. In doing this, the management is able to control most of their employees behavior and thus making sure that productivity of the workers is kept at its best (Laming, 2004, p. 180).

In light of this, motivation is a concept that needs to be approached from different fronts. Most employees seek to satisfy the basic needs first which are largely met by means of finances and then move to the other motivators. Managers who employer one or all of the above approaches of motivating the employees often find it easy to motivate their employees since they communicate their expectations to the employees who can in turn predict the outcomes of their performances.

Initial studies on motivation such as the Hawthornes studies stated that employees are not primarily motivated by finances. There are other causes such as their attitudes which largely contribute to their motivations. Such beliefs led to aeries of other studies that brought up the issues of equity motivation theories. From the preceding discussion, it has been established through employees are largely influenced by the outcome of their performance.

Conclusion

An understanding of the equity theory of motivation brings out the fact that even though the employees have their attitudes on the work and the managers, the most determinant of their choice of behavior is the perceived outcome. Those that predict a positive outcome in form of a reward will tend to modify their behaviors in a manner that will enhance their productivity.

As such, it can be authoritatively concluded that the management can set out reward mechanism in the organizations to influence the behavior of the employees. In addition to these conclusions, it has been noted that monetary rewards play an important role in determining the motivation of an organization.

References

Davidson, JP & Davidson, JP 2011, 60 second solutions: Motivation, David and Charles, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Deci, EL & Ryan, RM 1985, Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior, Plenum, New York.

Herzberg., F, Mausner., B, & Snyderman., BB 2005, The motivation to work, Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick.

Laming, DRJ 2004, Understanding human motivation what makes people tick?, Blackwell Pub. Malden, Mass.

Levesque, P 2008, Motivation: powerful motivators that will turbo-charge your workforce, Entrepreneur Press, Irvine, Calif.

Levounis, P & Arnaout, B 2010, Handbook of motivation and change: a practical guide for clinicians, American Psychiatric Pub, Washington, DC.

Wentzel, KR & Wigfield, A 2008, Handbook of motivation at school, Routledge, London.

Wicker, D 2009, Motivation: an interactive guide, Author-house [S.l.].

Wlodarczyk, Andrzej Z 2011), Work Motivation A Systemic Framework for a Multilevel Strategy, Author-house, USA.

Wong, R 2000, Motivation: a bio-behavioral approach, Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge [u.a.].

Organizational behavior plays a significant role in the analysis of groups conduct in a corporate environment. The observation of the features of lack of motivation and dissatisfaction helps identify its role in the companys functioning. The managers should identify the manifestations of lack of motivation and job satisfaction because this behavior threatens to reduce work productivity to improve the working environment, ethical practices, and leadership styles.

Various components may help to identify the lack of motivation and job satisfaction. These elements are the general assessment of the companys contribution to employees feelings, the cognitive analysis of the expectations and intentions, and the analysis of the companys influence on humans self-assessment. The managers have to understand how to identify the features of dissatisfaction to cope with the problem in advance. The first manifestation of a lack of inspiration and contentment is the overall evaluation of the organizations operations that influence the employees. For instance, Ko and Choi (2018) display how the employees demonstrate their complaints about the overtime work, focusing on its role in their overall negative attitude towards the company. The second component is the expectations of the workers. The managers may interview the employees to comprehend whether their beliefs correspond to the actual circumstances in the organization. Finally, the last component is the violation of the regulations by the individuals. For instance, if they are frequently late, disregard the deadlines, or miss the meetings, it can signify that they are dissatisfied.

Lack of motivation and job satisfaction threatens to impede employees productivity and the profitability of the company. The negative feelings of the workers can be associated with their ability to complete the assigned tasks, the communication quality in the organization, and the relationship with the management. Since these elements are crucial for the employees everyday activities, they influence how people evaluate their job and the environment and whether they value their position. According to Chamberlin, Newton, and LePine (2018), such practices as motivation and opportunity enhancement facilitate the performance of the employees. The study results indicate that the understanding that people can manage their functions and duties improves their feeling of self-assessment and enables them to work more effectively. Consequently, this study demonstrates that if individuals lack motivation and feel dissatisfied with their job, their work will be unproductive.

Such factors as working environment, fair practices, and relationship with management help to improve personnels motivation and job satisfaction. When the employees demonstrate the traces of deficiency in inspiration and contentment, the organizations management should analyze the factors that might have caused this situation. Mainly, Pawirosumarto, Sarjana, and Gunawan (2017) determine that working conditions, corporate values, and the managers style determines how the workers evaluate their position in the company and aspire to perform better. In particular, the scholars define that the strong leadership skills of the managers facilitate the employees feeling of self-esteem, its good reputation (Pawirosumarto, Sarjana, and Gunawan, 2017, p. 1352). It implies that the ability of the leadership to solve the issues effectively, create a healthy environment in the company, and treat the workers fairly enables the administrators to keep the level of job satisfaction of the group on a necessary level.

Thus, the supervisors should know how the deficiency in motivation and contentment influences the workers performance and how to identify this behavior to facilitate working conditions, fair practices, and the relationship between management and staff. The general assessment of work, the expectations, and actions of the employees demonstrate whether they feel content. The unmotivated individuals work lacks productivity and may result in a reduction in profits. Therefore, the managers should pay attention to the working environment, fairness of the policies, and the appropriateness of the leadership styles to guarantee job satisfaction.

References

Chamberlin, M., Newton, D., & LePine, J. (2018). A meta-analysis of empowerment and voice as transmitters of high-performance managerial practices to job performance. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 39(10), 1296-1313.

Ko, Y., & Choi, J. (2018). Overtime work as the antecedent of employee satisfaction, firm productivity, and innovation. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 40(3), 282-295.

Pawirosumarto, S., Sarjana, P. K., & Gunawan, R. (2017). The effect of work environment, leadership style, and organizational culture towards job satisfaction and its implication towards employee performance in Parador Hotels and Resorts, Indonesia. International Journal of Law and Management, 59(6), 1337-1358.

Motivation means someone’s needs, desires, or wants which play an essential role to satisfy psychological needs. Motivation is the reason behind people’s exercises, success, while emotion is a feeling or mood that can be derived from one’s achievement or failure in their work, etcetera. Motivation is a mix of inside and outside effects connected to our thoughts.

Motivation can be divided into two different types: Intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. Internal motivation is the self-need to look out for new things and new troubles, to explore one’s capacity, to watch, and to get learning. External motivation starts from impacts outside of the individual. (Pearson, 2015).

In my observation, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs describes motivation in the best way. As per Maslow, individuals are inspired by unsatisfied necessities. The necessities recorded from major to most complex are as per following:

Maslow uses the expressions ‘physiological’, ‘safety, ‘social’, ‘esteem’, and ‘self-acknowledgment to depict the case through which human motivations generally move.

The target of Maslow’s Theory is to achieve all the five levels but mainly on: self-acknowledgment needs. As per Maslow, one must satisfy down-level needs before the needs that happen higher in the pyramid.

Psychological needs – These necessities are the physical requirements for human survival and often include the need for air, food, and water. In case, if these needs are not met, the human body can’t work genuinely and will finally miss the mark. For example, when you are extremely hungry, all your behavior may be influenced by the need to find nourishment. When you eat, the search for food stops and the need for food never again disturbs you.

Safety needs – Once physiological essentials are fulfilled, individuals are pushed to sort out their security problems toward getting a protected house and security. Furthermore, individuals require control, freedom, and stability in their lives, and also finds a safe environment to live in, so this need for success and security includes, everything considered, practices at this level.

Social Needs – When safety needs have been met, social needs for love/having a place becomes essential. This can include the need for secure with other individuals, the need to be worshiped, and the need to form enduring connections. For example, avoiding problems like uneasiness, loneliness, and distress, make it essential for people to feel loved and to be recognized by different people. (McLeod, 2018)

Esteem needs – The fourth level is the need for appreciation and respect. When all the three needs have been satisfied, the respect/esteem needs begin to accept a more noticeable part in motivating theory. Presently, it ends up being logically basic to get the respect and valuation for others. People have a need to accomplish things and these needs suggest the desire to be regarded by one’s partners, to feel basic, and to be regarded. Individuals will examine ways to manage the accomplishment of an opinion of quality, and they may look for praise from others to satisfy needs. (McLeod, 2018).

Self-Actualization needs – At the very peak of Maslow’s hierarchy, attention moves to the need for self-fulfillment, which is a need that basically compares to achieving one’s most extreme limit. This can be found in increasing new capacities, going up against new challenges, and acting in a way that will help you achieve your goals. Maslow proposed that this is an unending, tough system and restrictive somewhat level of people who really accomplish a self-finished state.

Personal Experience – According to my personal experience, I want to describe the importance of these needs in my life. As I am an international student, so from my very first day in Canada, my psychological needs started. Finding the room or house was the first basic need. After accomplishing this need, my next step was to find a job. I got the job after three months. Now my psychological and safety needs were accomplished, the next target was to find friends to spend time with and creating memories with them. I met new individuals on the job and in my class and out of them some are my very good friends, with whom I love to enjoy. All these needs were like a challenge of my life, that accomplished very well without being depressed.

Abstract:

The motive behind the teaching-learning process is to provide right direction which is the appropriate beginning point of achievement motivation. The aim of the present research is to study the achievement motivation of school with relation to their Gender in the villages of Mansa district. The sample consisted of 60 Secondary school going students randomly selected from two villages of Mansa District. Out of which 30 were government school students and 30 were private school students. For the investigation Achievement Motivation scale of Prof. Pratibha Deo, &Dr. Asha Mohan (2011) was used. The Descriptive Survey Method was used for the Collection of data. The obtained data was analyzed through the’t’ test to know the significant difference between the boys and girls in the Government and Private school student and a significant difference in Achievement Motivation of Government school students. The result showed that the girls of Private school students exhibited significantly higher achievement motivation in comparison to boys of Private school students. Similarly, students of Private school have significantly higher in Achievement Motivation in comparison to Government school students.

Keywords: Achievement Motivation, Private and Government School Students

Introduction

Now a days in an ambitious society every individual wish to have higher aspiration of achievement. The element of conduct is observed as a basic determinant for exclusive development and strive to have civic progress. The contemporary community cannot accomplish its target of productive growth, professional progress, and educative elevation without fully mobilizing the capabilities of its inhabitants because open-minded citizens are said to be most worthy for the society. The term motivation is that sense of inducement of any organism which assemble the activity in a careful and directive way. It is a force that activates the individual’s actions. It has a psychological identity that stimulates the interest of learners in the learning task. Franken (2002) opined that these set of people would like to get immediate regular concrete feedback on how well they are performing a task. The motive of the teaching-learning process is to provide righteous path which is the exact spring board of achievement motivation. It is the definitive indication of desire, attempt and endurance. When the human being thinks that his progress will be assessed in relation to some sort of regulation of perfection at that time such type of behavior will be performance-based. There is the comprehensive inclination of individual which attempt to exceed and outshine and to edge forward from others. This drift is called as self-possession and self-accusation which strive to have some kind of motive of accomplishment. For this motivation gives energetic strength to students for learning and exploring and teachers for teaching and elaborating ideas. Thus the present research is made to study the achievement motivation of government and private school students of Mansa District.

Review Of Related Literature

Noureen & Naz (2011) examined the achievement and its relationship with achievement motivation and self concept on a sample of 336 secondary school students (146 males and 172 females ) from public and private schools of Sargodha district. The results showed significant gender difference and higher achievement motivation level among students and found higher significant correlation between academic achievement and achievement motivation. Rajina & Karnan (2018) conducted the study on achievement motivation of 300 randomly selected higher secondary school students of Tiruvallur district. The results of the study revealed that female achievement mean score is better than male mean scores. Thus this showed significant and positive relationship in achievement motivation with respect to gender, type of family, type of management and parental involvement. Rani & Reddy(2019) examined the achievement motivation of adolescent students of different academic streams on a purposively selected sample of 80 adolescent (40 male and 40 female) undergraduate students from Hyderabad district. The results showed significant difference between the achievement motivation of sciences and arts stream and also significant difference found among male and female of college students.

Objectives For The Study

1. To study the achievement motivation of government school boys and girls students.
2. To study the achievement motivation of private school boys and girls students.
3. To study the difference on achievement motivation of government and private school students.

Hypotheses For The Study

• H1 : There is no significant difference in achievement motivation of boys and girls of government school students.
• H2 : There is no significant difference in achievement motivation of boys and girls of private school students.
• H3 : There is no significant difference in achievement motivation of government and private school students.

Variables Used –

In this study the two independent variables are classified in terms of gender (boys and girls) and type of school (government and private). The dependent variable is achievement motivation.

Methodology Used

• SAMPLING PROCESS – The sample was consisted of 60 students of government and private school from Mansa District which were selected randomly. Out of which 30 were government school students and 30 were private school students from villages of Mansa District.
• TOOLS USED – Achievement motivation – For the present study Deo-Mohan Achievement Motivation Scale (2011) was adopted to examine the Achievement Motivation which was developed by Prof. Pratibha Deo, &Dr. Asha Mohan, which is published by National Psychological Corporation, Agra.
• PROCEDURE OF DATA COLLECTION – The students who were studying in government and private school students were randomly selected from Mansa District and data was collected on the basis of the achievement Motivation scale.
• STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED – ‘t’ test was applied to know the significant difference between government and private school students of Government Sen Sec School, Burj Hari and Police Public School, Tamkot.

Result & Discussions

Table-I, Level of Achievement motivation in government school boys and girls students.

• Group N Mean SD t-value
• Boys 15 51.65 2.23 0.48
• Girls 15 52.25 2.42

Table No-I showed the achievement motivation level of government school of boys and girls was not found to be significant at 0.05 level.

Table-II, Level of Achievement motivation in private school boy and girls students.

• Group N Mean SD t-value
• Boys 15 52.55 2.41 3.02
• Girls 15 61.03 4.37

Table No-II showed the achievement motivation level of private school of girls is higher than that of boys private school students was found to be significant at 0.05 level And 0.01 level of significance. On the basis of achievement motivation private school girls mean score is significantly higher than private school-going boys.

Table-III, Level of Achievement motivation in government and private school students.

• Group N Mean SD t-value
• Government 30 52.01 2.29 5.41
• Private 30 66.02 3.93

Table No-III show the achievement motivation level of private school students is higher than that of achievement motivation of government school students at .05 level and at .01 level of significance.

Discussion

First hypothesis (H1) “There is no significant difference in achievement motivation of boys and girls of government school students” revealed that no significant difference was found between government school boys and girls students as far as level of achievement motivation is concerned. Hence the above hypothesis is accepted. These days educational level, family status is equal among boys and girls of government school students. The finding of the present study is in agreement with the studies conducted by Tamilselvi & Devi (2017) found that achievement motivation of higher secondary students on a sample of 100 students consisting of 69 male and 31 female studying in 9th class of Coimbatore district. The results revealed that no significant difference was found on the achievement motivation level of male and female students.

Second Hypothesis (H2 ) “ There is no significant difference in achievement motivation of boys and girls of private school students.” showed that with respect to achievement motivation level is concerned significant difference was found between private school boys and girls students. Hence the above hypothesis is rejected. As private school girls achievement motivation level has been increased than that of private school boys. The finding of study examined that Bharanbe(2016) the student of private school students on a sample of randomly selected 120 students 60 male and 60 female have significantly higher in Achievement Motivation in comparison to government school students.

Third Hypothesis (H3) “There is no significant difference in achievement motivation of government and private school students”. was rejected And showed that with respect to achievement motivation level is concerned significant difference was found in private school students in comparison of government school students.

Conclusions

The investigator arrived at the conclusion that achievement motivation of boys and girls of government school students have no significant difference. But found that there was significant difference found in achievement motivation of boys and girls of private school students and showed that girls of private school students are more motivated to achieve the task in comparison of boys of private school students. As far as the achievement motivation of government and private school students is concerned there was significant difference in achievement motivation of both the groups.

References

1. Franken, R. E. (2002). Human motivation. (5th Ed), Belmont: C. A. Wadworth.
2. Awan, R., Noureen, G., & Naz, A. (2011). A Study of Relationship between Achievement Motivation, Self Concept and Achievement in English and Mathematics at Secondary Level International Education Studies,4(3),72-79.
3. Bharanbe, K. (2016). Achievement Motivation: A Comparative Study of Private and Government School Students, The International Journal of Indian Psychology,3(6), 46-50.
4. Tamilselvi, B. & Devi, S.T. (2017). A study on achievement motivation of higher secondary students in Coimbatore district, International Journal of Advanced Education and Research,2(3), 81-84.
5. Rajina, G. & Karnan, P. (2018). A study on Achievement Motivation of Higher Secondary School Students in Tiruvallur District, International Journal of Educational Scientific Research, 4(3),43-48.
6. Rani, P. & Reddy, G. (2019). A Study on Achievement Motivation of Adolescent Students of Different Academic Streams, International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences, 8(2) 228-233.

Introduction

Motivating employees is one of the main challenges that managers face these days. 79% of managers believe that this is their most important task (Longeneker, 2011). This task, however, is not an easy one, as managers cannot use a single policy to motivate everyone. Every employee has different needs, and due to the increasing life spans, the diversity of employees in the workforce is becoming more diverse than ever. Unless managers know how to cater to the different needs of the people, it is very difficult to please everyone in the workforce. Thus, it is vital for any organization and its management to learn, adapt and apply practices that attract these employees and help them stay motivated at work. The unrest about the so-called ‘generation gap’ is on the rise, and some believe that it is constantly widening. In this essay, we will discuss how a diverse workforce and motivation are interlinked. Whether each generation is motivated differently, would help managers develop an effective system to motivate their employees. Currently, the global labor force is comprised of four different generations, The Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation Xers, and the Millennials. In this essay, we will not be discussing traditionalists, as they are a very rapidly declining part of the workforce, with the majority of them already retired.

A generation can be defined as an ‘identifiable group that shares birth years, age, location and significant life events at critical development stages’ (Cennamo & Garden, 2008). Each generation has, therefore, different beliefs and viewpoints, as they grew up under different sets of circumstances. These different generations also have different sets of values and traits, which are discussed below:

Baby Boomers: This generation was born between 1946 and 1964. This generation was the largest to date. However, in the coming years, due to their age, most of the Baby Bloomers would be retiring. They grew in a time where gender equality was becoming more predominant. They were raised by parents who stressed the importance of hard work and responsibility. Traits of this generation include loyalty, faithful, patriotic and conservative. Values of Baby Bloomers include integrity, community work, make a name for themselves (When Generations Collide….2010)

Generation X: This generation was born between 1965 and 1981. They are a predominant part of the current labor force, as majority of them are actively participating in it (When Generations Collide….2010). This generation entered the workforce during the economic downturns of the 1970’s and 80’s. This led them to see their friends and family suffer from job losses. Due to this many Xers took jobs below their skill level. They were also the first generation to experience technology, like the internet, video games and the home PC. According to the study “When Generations Collide….2010” this generation has certain traits and values. Their traits include independence, innovation, being resourceful and adaptable. Their values are entrepreneurship, growth opportunities and teamwork.

Millennials: This generation was born between 1981 and 2000. Millennials are the newest generation to join the work force. They are one of the quickest growing segments of the work force, due to which managers may ask what makes this group distinct from the previous generations. This generation is the “largest demographic bulge since the Baby Bloomers” (Aschoff, 2006). A global research company, Universum Communication said that companies seeking information about this cohort increased 45% over a six-month period (Gerdes, 2006). Millennials value accountability, project management, diversity and team work. Due to the age they grew up in, they are heavily reliant on the use of technology. Their traits include tech-savvy, environmentalists, realistic and globally concerned (When Generations Collide, 2010).

It is apparent, that so many differences can create problems in a workforce where all the generations work together. Workplace motivation is one of the main areas where these generational differences may be seen. In the following paragraphs, we will also discuss how these differences affect workplace motivation, and how the managers should apply the relevant motivation theories.

Literature

The motivation level of a worker will be directly linked with their current life situation, career, age, and the outside environment. For example, stable employment and high salaries often rank high among all generations during times of economic distress. During an economic boom, workers tend to take these factors for granted. To keep the workforce motivated, managers should know their employees and use different motivation techniques as each worker has different expectations from their employers. Retaining talent and developing them are the goals of every organization, and to meet them, managers must understand the requirements of today’s diverse workforce. As if the employees are not motivated, not only would it be difficult for the company to retain them, but it also has an employee population that is not as productive as it could be. This would eventually lead to a low quality of work done, which would be detrimental to any company’s success. A study by talent assessment firm SHL found that employees with a lack of motivation had multiple destructive side effects (Tailor Motivation…, 2009). Workers become distracted, complacent and less productive. Forty-three per cent of workers polled agreed that a lack of motivation caused them to procrastinate on the job. Also, nearly a third of workers polled in the study stated that a lack of motivation would lead them to search for a new job. (Tailor Motivation…, 2009).

Longeneker defines motivation as the inner drive to satisfy needs (Longeneker, 2011). It is logical to believe that a person will expend effort if it results in the satisfaction of a need (Longeneker, 2011). One recent theory argues that there are four indicators to measure workplace motivation: engagement, satisfaction, commitment, and intention to quit (Nohria, 2008). Engagement can be defined as an employee’s efforts that are put into the job. Satisfaction is based on the employee’s expectations of a company and whether they are met or not. Commitment is the connection and dedication an employee feels towards the organization. Lastly, intention to quit referring to the employee’s plans of remaining with the organization (Nohria, 2008). For this essay, the focus will be motivation for the entire job rather than the motivation for a specific task, even though motivation profiles are developed by employees, meaning they are more motivated for the performance of some tasks than others (Stamov-Roßnagel, 2010).

Motivation theories are a toolkit for managers, and if used effectively, can help increase the productivity of workers. Motivation theories can be divided into three main categories: Content, which shows how workers are motivated. These include theories by Maslow, McGregor, and Herzberg. Process theories show the actual process of motivation and include the expectancy and equity theory. Finally, expectancy theories are goal/attribution theories and show how a person can motivate others. This theory entails with job enrichment. In the following paragraphs, we will discuss the above-mentioned theories and try to determine how managers can apply them to a diverse workforce.

In the late 1940s, the Hierarchy of Needs which states the order of satisfaction of needs based on importance was developed by the American psychologist Abraham Maslow (Maslow, 1948). The first needs to be satisfied will be the most basic. After those, other needs will be the focus. These include physiological, safety, social, esteem and self-actualization. Maslow states that the order of importance of needs will vary from person to person since everyone is different. Due to this assertion regarding differences across the population, this theory could be taken along with the theory of the generation gap.

McGregor came up with his Theory X and Y approach to motivation in the 1950s. Theory X asserts that employees are inherently lazy and must be coerced by management to work (McGregor, 1972). On the other hand, Theory Y asserts that people have the desire to work and will seek out responsibility. According to Theory X, authoritarian management is required whereas Theory Y suggests a style of management that is participative, and employees are not solely coerced by rewards to work. (McGregor, 1972) In this theory, the perspective of the management defines employee motivation and how it affects development depending on how management views employees. From the theory X point of view, it’s likely that the morale and motivation of the employees are not addressed and will suffer. This is specifically true for Millennials as they desire a participative style of management and want to be involved more in the decision-making processes.

Herzberg took a comparatively different approach to both Maslow and McGregor. He developed the Motivation-Hygiene Theory, which looks into the factors that help employees to motivate themselves. These factors are categorized into two groups: motivators and hygiene factors. (Herzberg, 1974) His theory presents that hygiene factors create discontent in the workforce. These include salary, status, supervision, company policy, working conditions, and security. Motivators cause employees to be motivated to work. These include meaningful work, achievement, growth, recognition, responsibility, and advancement. (Herzberg, 1974) Herzberg claims that the highly motivated employee does not care about things such as time off and salary because that worker wants to come to work even if the salary is not high. According to Herzberg’s theory, for the creation of a motivated workforce, motivators should be maximized, and the influence of hygiene factors should be minimized. Herzberg is an ardent advocate of job enrichment versus job enlargement. He asserts an enriched job, one with purpose will bring out the best in an employee as opposed to an enlarged job with no meaning. As we explained how Millennials were raised above, hygiene factors would be more important to them than the other generations.

Job enrichment theory deals with job satisfaction and helps how managers can keep their employees satisfied with the work they are doing. This is not the same as motivation, it is more of an attitude. With the different traits that each generation has, each generation would see job satisfaction from a different perspective.

Findings

A study by SHL found that millennials are motivated by interesting work, a friendly work environment and healthy company culture (Tailor Motivation…., 2009). Millennials prefer meaningful work over a promotion or a raise. They attribute this as a success, rather than being promoted to a certain position (Goodman, 2006). They value personal fulfilment on the job. The above information indicates that Millennials value the motivators put forward by Herzberg. This could be possible due to the global and environmental issue that they have witnessed growing up. They also have drive to bond with their colleagues because they are always connected, owing to the growth in technology. A study conducted by Robert Half International (RHI) enabled it to provide specific tactics and strategies for retaining and recruiting members of the Millennial generation. The study found out that the top career concerns were financial security, job stability, and career satisfaction listed as most important to least important (“Generation Y” 2008). The first strategy suggested by RHI was to “make them an offer they can’t refuse” (“Generation Y” 2008). This means that employment offers that look into the main career concerns of this generational cohort must be provided by companies. The next strategy is to “put yourself in their shoes when thinking about benefits” (“Generation Y” 2008). This suggests that the success of managers depends on the benefits that they provide and whether millennials would consider them important or not. These benefits include “healthcare coverage, paid vacation, dental care coverage, 401(k) programs, bonuses, and flexible work hours/telecommuting” (“Generation Y” 2008). The third strategy is to “show them how they can grow.” The importance of a workplace environment and organisational structure in which they can expand their skills is very important. Aspects such as challenging and diverse work assignments, mentoring programs, and the cultivation of reciprocal work relationships are some of the environments discussed (“Generation Y” 2008). Lastly, RHI recommends that organizations “get the word out” (“Generation Y” 2008). Due to the substantial use of technology by younger generations, organizations cannot rely on old-school recruitment tactics that may have been effective in the past. The internet should be utilized using social media, blogs, podcasts etc. and an online image of the company should be provided giving a clear idea of what millennials would experience if they worked there. (“Generation Y” 2008). Companies are more likely to attract employees that will be successful once hired by reaching out to millennials through modern channels.

Business week conducted a survey and found that Generation X workers value monetary rewards more. This is mainly because during their childhood they saw their parents struggle financially during times of economic distress (Erickson, 2008). Thus, we can say that Generation Xers are more in touch with the hygiene factors compared to the other drives of motivation. This would contradict Herzberg’s theory. This generation also gives value to having different options in their careers. According to Cam Marston, a consultant on multi-generational issues, Generation Xers desire work-life balance, and fancy rewards in the short term over the long term. For example, rather than giving them a bonus at the end of the year, the managers could reward them with a long weekend after a hard and productive week at work (Goodman, 2006). Baby boomers are motivated when they see they are respected, valued and appreciated in the company (Jaworski, 2010). Due to this they highly value promotion, training, and career development opportunities. Baby boomers do not like having different options in their career and prefer following a clear and structured career path. Baby Boomers would most likely accept a promotion without a salary increase, something the Xers would never do. Baby boomers’ value the motivators more as well. This is mainly because of their growing age, due to which they are having to defend their rights in the workplace. Thus, they look for career advancement and growth opportunities. Therefore, due to the differences between each generation, Maslow’s theory would be more applicable. Herzberg’s theory has been controversial and some even argue that it is not applicable in modern times. (Sachau, 2007). Herzberg’s theory doesn’t take in to account the fact that some hygiene factors could be considered motivators by some employees.

Author Jennifer Deal surveyed 3000 companies and made the claim that ‘we all want essentially the same things at work’ (Rossi, 2007). In addition to this, there are a few other studies that found that the generational gap in the context of workplace motivation may not be as wide as we may think. Deal asserts that most workers have similar values, with family being the top of the list. According to her motivational differences arise, on how the workers use their rewards. For example, one employee may desire time off from work so that he can spend time with his family. On the other hand, another worker may want longer hours and high salaries so that he can meet the financial needs of his family. Society for Human Resource Management also conducted research and found that the generation gap may not be as wide as it is perceived to be. Sargent & Schlossberg put forward a theory stating life transitions as the main cause of motivational differences between generations. Life transitions are described as ‘Events or non-events that alter adult lives’ (Sargent, 1988). These transitions directly impact the everyday life of a person, resulting in a change in relationships and responsibilities. Therefore, it is logical to say that these changes also affect how a person perceives motivation. For example, if an employee gets married or has a baby, this would change the employee in a way that he may now want to earn more so that he can meet the financial needs of their family. Or they may desire more time off from work, so they can spend the extra time with their family. As these events happen on a common timeline for people, they can be associated with each generation. Sargent & Schlossberg also state that this is not always true, and managers must know what the employees are going through, and not just make assumptions based on age. They also emphasize the fact that age and life transitions are not always interlinked, but in a generation, most people experience similar life transitions, and thus their motivational drives could probably be more aligned.

Employee motivation is considered to be the motivating force for employees to achieve specific organizational goals and objectives. Today, this is one of the biggest problems in organizations because everyone wants to use the best financial and human resources. The main objective is to ask what factors influence work motivation and to know the level of motivation that affects the performance of workers. Data were collected from 160 public and private school teachers using self-administered questionnaires. Regression analysis was used to find the effect of employee motivation on employee performance involving four variables of employee motivation, employee performance, intrinsic rewards and perceived training effectiveness.

The results show that there is a significant and positive relationship between employee motivation and employee performance. It also concludes that intrinsic rewards have a significant positive relationship with employee performance and employee motivation. This study concluded that the effectiveness of employee training was found to be negatively related to motivation. It is also evident from their response that they are given training courses but they do not carry out this in their routine teaching because they consider it ineffective. They are dissatisfied with the training they are given and this affects their motivation to teach. The only way for people to work hard is to motivate them.

Nowadays, people must understand why they work so hard. Each individual in the organization is motivated in a number of different ways .When it comes to employee motivation, it can only be defined as employee motivation is a reflection of the level of energy, commitment and creativity that company employees bring to their work. The job of a manager in the workplace is to get a job through a worker do this is managers must be able to motivate employees. But it’s easier said than done. Motivational practice and theory is a difficult subject and touching on some disciplines. In addition to large-scale, basic or applied research, motivational subjects are not clearly understood and are more often than not practiced poorly. To understand motivation, they must understand their own nature and there is a problem. Human nature can be very simple, but each one is complex.

Understanding and appreciating this is a prerequisite for effective employee motivation in the workplace and therefore effective management and leadership. Employee motivation is very important for organizations because every problem requires physical, financial and human resources to achieve the goal. Through motivation, human resources can be fully utilized. This can be done by building a willingness to work. This will help companies ensure the best use of resources. This results in increased productivity, lower operating costs and increased overall efficiency. This is achieved if coordination and cooperation occur simultaneously which can be done effectively through motivation. The first impact of employee motivation is employee performance. Worker’s performance is considered what he or she does and what they do not.

Employee performance involves the quality and quantity of output, the presence of the workplace, the accommodative and helpful nature and the timeliness of production. According to the results of the research conducted by Yang (2008) on individual performance shows that individual performance cannot be verified. He also emphasized that organizations can use bonuses and rewards directly based on individual performance if employee performance is viewed. According to Yang, bishops investigate employee performance and reveal that recognition and recognition as well as appreciation for employee performance lead to discrimination between employee productivity. The employee’s spirit and productivity are strongly influenced by the effectiveness of the organization’s performance and its management system. To satisfy customers, the company makes a lot of effort but does not pay attention to satisfied employees.

But the reality is that customers will not be satisfied until and unless the employee is satisfied. Because, if employees are satisfied, they will do more work so that it eventually increases. The second impact is intrinsic reward. Interest in the task itself is driven internally by the external force and the reliance on external reward refers to intrinsic motivation. Organizations always need something to keep their employees engaged including pay or bonuses but motivation is a very important factor in getting employees engaged in their work so that their quality and quantity of work and productivity do not decline. Intrinsic rewards are primarily related to employee satisfaction with his work resulting from the enjoyment of work he experiences in a good organization that rewards him for his work.

Rewards mean a lot to employees whether they are extrinsic or intrinsic. An intrinsic gift arises in a person after completing a certain task or job while extrinsic motivation comes from outside sources or forces such as salary, money, or value. For example, an intrinsically motivated person will work on a math problem because it is fun or he will find a solution to it because it is challenging and will give him a sense of satisfaction after solving it. In both cases, there are no external gifts that are important to people such as payments or gifts. That does not mean that extrinsic appreciation is not important to a person, but it does mean that it is not sufficient to sustain that person’s motivation. The study found that appreciation is very important in transforming employee dissatisfaction into satisfaction. The conclusion is that when employees are satisfied they will perform the task with more interest and will work hard which will lead to better performance.

A study was conducted which found that employee performance was directly influenced by intrinsic rewards because when intrinsic rewards are given to them, they find out about their performance and work harder to earn recognition. Last but not least, employee perceived training effectiveness. To achieve organizational goals efficiently and effectively, organizational management requires the training of its members. Training is very useful for workers in many ways as it keeps them up to date with the rapidly changing world trends and environments to help alleviate the stress and frustration caused by hard work or job demands that help them improve their skills to handle work effectively. Employees who feel they are capable of fulfilling their duties will leave the field or if they maintain their productivity levels are not optimal. The more gaps between what a person has and what they need, the more dissatisfied with their work and the higher their turnover rate.

Conclusion

Although there is no direct link between the literature between job satisfaction and training, Rowden suggests that training can be an effective tool for improving job satisfaction. Similarly, Rowden and Conine claim that employees who receive training will eventually better meet their customers’ needs and demands. In this regard, it is stated that employees who demonstrate their commitment to training and learning have increased job satisfaction that positively affects their performance. The practice of training directly or indirectly affects workers’ motivation and their commitment to the organization. Training is defined in this study as an intervention designed to improve the determinants of individual work performance. One study shows that training is one of the most important aspects of HR applications that directly affects employee performance. Training increases and updates employee knowledge leading to improved performance. Employee training is an asset because if the employee is competent then the company’s performance will increase further and will provide long-term benefits over competitors.

Throw yourself into some work you believe in with all you heart, live for it, die for it, and you will find happiness that you had thought could never be yours (Center for the Advancement of Well-Being, 2019). A comparison between workers are assumed that they are only motivated by money, or some other factor is always unclear. Most often it is assumed that workers are only motivated by money. However, it is not the truth for all employee (Sara L, 2004). Motivation is basically changing some patterns of behaviour, of a program of action specified in human. Motivation plays an important role in business as business with motivated workers are more successful (Dale, 2012 ). This report will examine the factors of motivation for workers on the basis and contrast of two theories Frederick Winslow Taylor and Herzberg. This report, will further look at different positions by which employees are motivated, along with four main theories on motivation. Financial motivators not being the main factor for motivation and non financial aids being the most significant influencer.

Motivation is the most important factor which helps individuals to achieve their goals or give good results to the organization. (Certo, 2000). Companies also in these process tries to find the best way to motivate and raise their workers ability and performances as when employee are motivated, it contributes to actual productivity of organization (Tanja, 2010). The argument about motivation for workers mostly remain tacit and a not adversely evaluated. Indeed, most workers try to manage others’ motives, without a clear awareness of their belief about what motivation is or how it works. They just go on with “motivation” without assuming about the causes from which they are motivated to be employed and what exactly they do. Managing motivates can proceed, and gain benefits, without the need to be accurate about our motivational assumptions. ( DALE, 2012). Money as an motivation can be examined differently depending on each individuals’ perspectives (Sara L, 2004) Some employees might see it as the most important thing in their working lives, while others are more predictable to value other things such as power, achievement, or relationship at the workplace.

This report disagrees to the subtitle of the topic that workers are only motivated by money and arguing about it on the basis of two theories. According to the 1st theory of Frederick Winslow Taylor’s theory, Scientific Management , he placed money as the most important factor in motivation for workers. They have to work hard to earn money in the given time. If they didn’t work properly, they will be not rewarded properly for their wages. Workers needed to concentrate only on their given works with no help or helping others. Paid for their performances or piece rates to make sure that the economic rewards of work were connected to actual productivity. No social engagement between employees was allowed as more to produce and complete their own tasks. (Knights, 2017) (Willmott, 2017).

Money seemed to be the main motivation for workers to work harder. They are not concerned about the thing that ,makes happy or they are enjoying their work. They ignored their own interest and passion since they focus mostly on the money. Workers’ motivation tends to change from being autonomous or driven by internal factors to being controlled and driven by external factors like financial incentives, known as over justification effect (Krug & Braver, 2014 ) (Ryan & Deci, 2000). On the other hand, when workers receive lots of money of doing something, they lose their interests in what they are doing and much more interested in getting reward on it. As a result, the work will mostly becomes meaningless for them. Consequently, this rewarding system or giving more pay could eventually decrease worker’s motivation. They finally get tired and bored with the work since they are no longer interested or their internal motivation in work is low .

In contrast to this , from Herzberg’s two factor theory, his idea is involved in motivation at work which can be determined by two different factors: job security which is considered as motivation factors and job dissatisfaction which is hygiene factors. These are associated with satisfaction with the work and dissatisfaction when something is disturbing or bothering to the workers (Sara, 2004). Motivators or satisfaction mostly consist of achievement, advancement, personal growth, recognition, responsibility and the work itself. Whereas dissatisfaction or hygiene demotivators include company policy, relationship with boss and manager , relationship with colleagues and workmates, salary, supervision, and working conditions. It is noticeable that salary or money is considered as dissatifiers.

In this theory, Wages are mentioned more often as a hygiene factor than a motivator, that is, Herzberg claimed that money adds only a little amount of motivation to job satisfaction (Weisberg &Dent, 2016). They might be paid low or low wage that make employees feel demotivated. Nonetheless, money alone cannot motivate or satisfy workers (Dale ,2012) . It also seems that money could not motivate any worker in the workplace as someone might prefer their work progress , chances for advancement and growth, recognition from others and the meaningful, interesting, and challenging work itself. Workers value these motivators instead of money as the only source for motivation (Tanja, 2010) Therefore, money being the lowest motivator and hygiene factors seen as an important role of job satisfaction and motivation (Auerbach , 2010), only money is not the reason that could motivate all employees.

To put it in a nutshell, although money is assumed as one of the main factor to motivate workers, it could not motivate and encourage everybody in the workplace in the long process. Workers also have an hygiene motivation in order to know their actual interest and passion in their work. As they are motivated, workers will always happy and enjoy working which will result in more productivity or great work performance. Accordingly, using money to just motivate workers or any kind of financial rewards could not be an efficient method to motivate any employee. If organizations need to motivate their workers by using money, they should come along with some more hygiene factors to make sure that every employee is motivated and happy working with them.

George Herbert, a British poet, orator, and priest said: “Do not wait; the time will never be ‘just right.’ Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.” This quote motivates us a lot, it can be associated with several matters in our daily life. Just like what Wei said about his life mottos: “Others can do it, I can do it too”. Although we having different life, but different roads lead to the same goal, we are need motivation to push us move forward.

Motivation for us

The definition for motivation is “a set of energetic forces that originate within and outside an employee that initiates work-related effort and determines its direction, intensity, and persistence”. We also have our own definition for motivation. Motivation is not only related to work, it could be from an elderly person’s encouragement, this is a verbal motivation, or it could be something visible, such as a bowl of some that your mother cooked for you when you are feeling down. Motivation can also be sensational, like if there were something happened around you makes you feel motivated. All of those different kinds of motivation all end up with one essential component, which is setting up a goal, no matter it id for your life, work or your studies. If a person lost his goal then he will not need motivation any more.

Desire is one of the synonyms for motivation. Form our observation of this society, use China as an example, in recent year, there is something called the Buddhist culture suddenly raised among Chinese young generation. Buddhist culture sounds like a religion related topic, but it doesn’t have anything to do with religion, it is all about an attitude. Let’s use Weibo as a prototype, there is an interesting life motto got popular with in this user group, people say that this motto can help you solve most of the problems in your life. Which is: “It’s not your business, it’s not my business.” Can you feel any positive thing going on here? I can’t. But this is where this generation of people is heading. Both happiness and negative emotions are epidemical. Not to mention motivation. If you are being around with motivational people, you are going to be motivated, and vice versa. Another important thing to be aware is to have resolving powers, you need to be able to distinguish whether it’s positive or negative. And then you can decide who you want to be with and where you want to stay. Therefore, motivational environment is really important.

Interviews We Had

For the assignment we did some interview to each other. The interview was more focused on the questions we mentioned in our Lab section. The question including introducing the one or some of the motivating experiences in our life; the reason we found these experiences are motivating and what we found helping or what we missed that didn’t helped. Also, in the assignment, me, Rui Zhang, will write in first person while Jingchen will write in third person.

1. Interviews about Jingchen

Firstly, Jingchen introduced his story in life that be believed helped him realizing the importance of a sense of positive motivation. Jingchen had join in a community, in that community, people are from all around the world, they are all international students, just like himself. There is a group of people who run this program, we call them organizers. They are not like us, their job is to help people in this program to have a better life in Nova Scotia. Some of them are international some of them are native. What Jingchen had realized within this program is, people who work there are always passionate and positive, they give presentations about how to get rid of anxiety, or any other negative emotions. They invite people who had already been through this stage to talk about their personal experiences. Unlike when we are staying alone, we don’t have anyone to talk to, we don’t have the environment to get motivated, to get back to the right direction. They encourage you and give you recognition when you lost your confidence. This is why being in a motivational environment is essential.

The power of words plays a huge role in motivation. Recognition from your friends, coworkers, family and people around you is essential. By referring to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory, this is at a level of love and belonging, which includes: intimate relationships and friends. The experience of Jingchen above is a great example of love and belonging within the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory.

2. Interviews about me

When talking about work experience, I shared a lot because I use to work for a restaurant as a waiter, and we are going to talk about what stoped me to keep working there. At the beginning, everything went fine, though I have to prepare my owe shirt as uniform because I was oversized. However, the good start didn’t last long enough. After 3 weeks of hard working I found the restaurant was not a charming place to stay. The working environment is not comfortable, there is not enough space for more than two people to pass by and the floor is always slippery, there is no comfortable seating area. Also, the boss took all of the tips we received and only gave us less than 10% of the share. From another perspective, not all my co-workers speak English well so I need to do most of the conversation and answer most of the phone calls. Though I understand that most of them are nice people but it was hard to being with them for a long time.

After interviewing me, Jingchen found that most of my dissatisfaction from work are working environment problems and working relationships problem. This situation could be explained by the Hygiene Theory. He asked me if I will be satisfied when I do have a comfortable working environment and relationships with my coworkers. Frankly speaking the answer was that, I could not be dissatisfied. The core idea of hygiene need is meeting these needs does not make us satisfied, it merely prevents us from becoming dissatisfied. And one the opposite side, motivator needs are when problems are solved, people are satisfied. Learning to differentiate hygiene needs and motivator need is a task that a leader should complete, this way, you could keep your employees happy and willing to work.

How can employers make the employees to be satisfied? Equity form every aspects is essential. Use salary as an example. If the salary got paid fairly to your employees, they will be satisfied, and then they will be encouraged and motivated to behave with in their best condition. We have to find a way to eliminate people’s anxiety from every aspects. When talking about satisfaction. We found that even those theories all have their own name, they are still very closely related. Equity Theory as I have mentioned above with the motivator need in Hygiene Theory is a good example.

3. The positive experience I shared

However, the examples we discussed was more about the failures we had. For the experience of motivating, we talked about my experience of preparing IELTS test. To have a chance to be in Dalhousie, I studied for 6 months and in the end, the grade was not perfect but it was good enough to apply a wonderful university like Dalhousie. The process was undelightful that, I was not a fan of language-learning. However, I did find a way to encourage myself that lead me to success. The goal of staying in Canada was the only pusher of my studying. I convinced myself that I could not be eligible to get the offer from Canadian universities unless the daily goal of practice is achieved. However, though the process was hard, the outcomes was valuable.

Conclusion to the Interview

In the end of the interview, we had our conclusion that, both of us had few failures in motivating ourselves. However, we also found both of us going through a motivational experience or a self-awareness of trying to motivating. I was unsatisfied with my work experience so I could not cheer myself up and it putted an end to my part-time job, that I “fired” my boss. Also, Jingchen realized the need of encourage from others are one of the key elements of motivation after he found the reason of how the members of his group are motivated and confident.

On the other hand, I realized the importance of being in Dalhousie and realized what effort I need to pay to have my ideal life. Therefore, I set my goals to push me and motivate myself. The process was undelightful but the daily goals and my dreams of having better life in Canada did helped me go through the hard time of study.

In conclusion, the experience we share can be related to the motivational theories like need theory and process theory. Therefore, we’ll try to bring a better understanding to the motivation by combining our experiences to the theory and find out the key factor of making a good or bad effort on self-motivating.

Relationship Between Cases and Theories

The process theories of motivation refer to the process of motivating and encourage people to achieve the way we want in the methods of both psychological and behavioral. In this section we’ll explain how our cases can be related to the theories and how certain theory effect our behavior in the way of good or bad.

Equity Theory

The first theory came to my mind was the Equity Theory that, inequity might be the biggest reason why I decide to quit my job at the restaurant. Think about the job you had was nice and you were not disagreeing with the salary. However, after months of hard working you found that even you have better ability of English conversation that you had to do more work than your co-worker. However, after all the effort you spent, you earned as much as your co-workers did. Under this case I believe most people would be unsatisfied, even they would act like they are unhappy. Furthermore, unsatisfaction could lead to bad performance of people, even the work they had to do was exactly as same as the work they had before. The poor performance is caused by awareness of the inequity between their effort and outcomes, and such inequity is the basis of the Equity Theory.

In my case, I shared my story of a unmotivating job experience, and the reason I found that I could not motivate myself. As my English-speaking level is higher than my co-worker, I was asked to take most of the phone calls, as well as did most of the conversation with the customers (the restaurant owner speaks poor English). Therefore, it was reasonable that I should expect more outcomes because of my extra effort. In Adams’ equity theory model, Op/Ip=Oc/Ic, refers to the fair condition that might achieves the satisfaction of the employees. However, as I have the same Op as my co-worker because we are paid equally, my Ip (refers to my feeling about self-input) was higher. Also, low share of our tips, that should belong to ourselves, is another reason of the inequality. While the employees of other restaurants having the ability to keep their tips, me and my co-workers can only have less than 10% of our tips, the inequity had increased. Therefore, after realizing the unlikely hope of salary increasing or less work, I made my decision of quitting my job.

On the other hand, the decision that treating all employees with the same standard was one of the mistakes that the restaurant made. There was a time I heard something surprising from one of the waiters who has worked there for years. He told me that our attitude to the customers are not important, since we keep little on our tips and there won’t be any bonus for hard-working. Such words were shocking for me but also reasonable. The restaurant should not create the work environment that employees recognize hard-working makes no differences. The difference is the key to create positive and motivated employees, that they believe better performance will be evaluated.

Goal-setting Theory

In the case of my English-learning, I found myself motivated because I focused on my goal of applying for a school like Dalhousie. And to achieve this dream I had my daily tasks that claims the practice and memorizing I need to achieve in my daily studying.

However, to apply goal-setting theory, the first basis is that the goal is needed or desired to be achieved by people. Such as my passion of living in Canada. The effort without a specific goal could be less than needed, or massive without right direction. The people without their goals are unlikely to be judged that they are lacking motivation. However, goals do bring more motivation to their owners, and they also give direction that people should focus on. For example, a student with a clear plan of reviewing for his test could study better than the students who don’t have any goals and plans of where and how to review. And as the result, the well-prepared student should have a better mark, or a more satisfied mark, than others.

However, goal-setting could be a difficult process, that failing in making and managing goals could lead to a bad and inefficient work performance. To help people having a better understanding of goal-setting, George T. Doran came up with the idea of SMART criteria in the November 1981. SMART criteria was the tool that helps to manage the goals. Applying goal-management benefits employees that not only provides them with a specific direction, but also gives a standard of performance assessment. The term of “SMART” is an acronym that each letter stands for a word of standard we should be aware while making our decision. First of all, the goal should be “Specific”, that is the common factor of the successful teams. A clear target could simplified the process of what strategy and data should be considered. For example, instead of giving a goal like “improving customers’ satisfaction”, a goal like “lower customers’ complaint rate by 2%” is more understandable and easier to follow. Second, the goal needs to be Measurable that a standard of achievement should be included to measure if the goal is finished. “A” stands for achievable, that goal should be based on the principle of being possible to achieve. The unrealistic goals can only cause the resistance and decreasing of motivation. Also, Relevant keeps the goal achievement meaningful that, the meaning of goal achieving could be lost if it is not related to the over-all goal. Last but not the least, Time-based goal could motivate people by keeping them hyper with the pressure.

In my case of English-Study, I was motivated because my target followed parts of the SMART goal-setting. The Specific target was passing IELTS test with a grade of 7.0 or passing TOFEL test with a grade of 85. The daily limit of practicing and minimum word memorizing helped me tracking my process. The daily goals were hard to achieve but they were possible to achieve. And for the time-based aspect, the goal of passing tests are required to be finished in 3 months. In this way, I can find the relationship of efficient and specific goal-setting could give the direction and proper pressure that keeps people motivated.

Other Related Theories and Conclusion

While the equity and goal-setting theory was the most proper theories that I can link to out cases, other theories we learned can be presented in our stories. Such as the hierarchy of needs. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory that ranks the human needs with a pyramid. From the bottom Physiological, Safety, Love/belonging, Esteem, and Self-actualization. However, the behavior of seeking more knowledge and self-challenging that I had could be the example of Esteem and Self-actualization, which also presented in the self-awareness of needs in motivation that Jingchen had. The awareness of Jingchen also showed the desire of self-development, which refers to a desire of growth, that could be an example of Clayton Alderfer’s ERG Theory. Furthermore, the inequity that made me quitted my job was representing my unsatisfaction of the payment, work environment and the co-worker relationship. These factors of unmotivaing could be recognized as the hygiene factors based on the Two Factor Theory.

After analyzing the cases of me and Jingchen, it was not hard to find that both of us had a hard time motivating ourselves. However, the needs and desires drove and, will drive us to different tasks. The proper application of motivating is a long-term goal waiting us to achieve.

Reference

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