Blog one- Motivation

‘Motivation can be described as the direction and persistence of action.’(Mullins, 2010, p.253). Motivation is studied to basically determine why people behave in the way they do as every person is unique and have different factors which will motivate them. The basic concept of motivation is that individuals work towards a goal in order to fulfil an expectation or need.

Content theories explore specific factors that motivate the individual at work. These relate to goals the individual wishes to achieve in order to satisfy their needs. The main content theories of motivation are; Maslow’s hierarchy of needs model, Alderfer’s modified need hierarchy model, Herzberg’s two factor theory and McClelland’s achievement motivation theory.

Herzberg’s motivation theory can be split into two factors, hygiene and motivators. Hygiene factors are sometimes known as maintenance factors, these relate to an individual’s basic needs in the workplace for example good working conditions. Mullins (2010) suggests that these hygiene factors are essential in order for unfair treatment to be avoided. In order for an individual to grow, improve and do their job to the best of their ability these standards need to be met. Redman and Wilkinson suggested that ‘employees were more likely to be motivated by factors such as achievement and the work itself rather than simply money’ (2001, p.101). The other set of factors, motivators or growth factors refer to the job content or work itself. These allow the individual to move forward within their job and feel as though their work has been recognised. In order for an employee to give their best, the manager must pay attention to the motivator factors. I choose to conduct further research in Herzbergs two factor theory because I feel it is particularly relevant to me and my experience at my part time job at Wallis. As well as being motivated by salary, status and work conditions, I felt that recognition, a sense of achievement, growth and responsibility were more important. It was these motivator factors that enabled me to progress to a supervisor level in two years, for which I was promoted three times.

When I originally applied for university in January I was still unsure what my plans were for the next year and therefore decided to wait until I received my grades in June. The motivation to go to university came when I received my results and found out that my place at Bucks New University had been confirmed. I believed that if I had got this far I owed it to myself to continue my studies into Business and Human Resources. Now that I am at university I am extremely pleased I made that decision as the course is right for me. For the next 2-3 years I will continue to be motivated to ensure that I receive my degree at the end of all the hard work. Another motivational force is the cost of university which will be turn out to be extremely expensive for the three years, it is therefore important that I work hard to ensure it wasn’t a waste of money. These reasons for motivation can be related to Herzbergs two factor theory as mentioned previously. The cost of the course over the three years is a hygiene factor and receiving the degree and sense of achievement at the end of the three years is a motivator factor.

I have previously been de-motivated at my part time job at Wallis. Wallis has regular incentives to increase sales, one of which involved each store collecting email addresses and the store that received the most won £35 worth of clothes for each member of staff. As I was determined to win the incentive I had gone out of my way to collect the email addresses. Other members of staff saw how many I had collected and therefore felt that they didn’t need to collect any themselves. This demotivated me as I felt I was the only person pulling my weight, and therefore didn’t see why everyone should receive the same prize. To become more motivated I spoke to my manger privately and expressed my concern, as a result I was given the role of motivating the others to collect the email addresses. I had been apprehensive about mentioning my concerns to my manager encase she thought I was badmouthing other members of staff. However looking back now I wish I had mentioned my concerns sooner as she went out of her way to ensure the problem was resolved.

In conclusion content theories of motivation relate to specific factors that motivate an individual in the workplace. In order to satisfy their needs goals are set between management and staff. As mentioned previously Herzberg’s two factor theory explores the different factors that motivate an individual splitting them into hygiene factors and motivator factors. As everyone is different we will all have different factors that will motivate and de-motivate us. It is important that employers keep their staff motivated otherwise they will not perform to the best of their ability.

References

Books

Mullins, L. (2010) Management and organisational behaviour.9^th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Redman, T and Wilkinson, A.(2001) Contemporary human resource management. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Websites

Google images (2010) Herzbergs two factor theory [online]. Available from: www.google.co.uk/images [Accessed 20 November 2010].