MGT 340 Exam 3 Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory, Equity Theory, Expectancy Theory, and Goal-Setting Theory.

Job context vs job content

Job context; In work motivation, those factors controlled by the organization, such as conditions, hours, earnings, security, benefits, and promotions. HYGIENE. job-content factors In work motivation, those factors internally controlled, such as responsibility, achievement, and the work itself. MOTIVATORS.

process theories

how employee behavior is initiated, redirected, and halted; and some of these theories are used to examine motivation in the international arena 1. Equity theory 2. Goal-Setting theory 3. Expectancy theory

Criticism of Herzberg's theory

1. Is money a hygiene factor or motivator? 2. Is this a theory for motivation or job satisfaction?

International findings on herzberg's theory

1. replications of research in a particular country: do managers in a different country give answers similar to the study? 2. Cross-cultural studies that focus on job satisfaction; what factors cause job satisfaction and how these responses differ from one country to the next

Goal-Setting Theory.

A process theory that focuses on how individuals go about setting goals and responding to them and the overall impact of this process on motivation. the level of participation in setting goals, goal difficulty, goal specificity, and the importance of objective, timely feedback to progress toward goals. There is considerable research evidence showing that employees perform extremely well when they are assigned specific and challenging goals that they have had a hand in setting. Unlike the United States, where employee participation in setting goals is motivational, it had no value for the Norwegian employees in this study. workers in the U.K. responded more favorably to a goal-setting program sponsored by the union stewards than to one sponsored by management. concepts such as participation in goal setting may well be affected by the prevailing work norms. the value of goal-setting theory may well be determined by culture. In the case, for example, of Asian and Latin work groups, where collectivism is very high, the theory may have limited value for MNC managers in selected countries.

Expectancy Theory

A process theory that postulates that motivation is influenced by a person's belief that (a) effort will lead to performance (b) performance will lead to specific outcomes (c) the outcomes will be of value to the individual. high performance followed by high rewards will lead to high satisfaction. expectancy theory is based on employees having considerable control over their environment, a condition that does not exist in many cultures (e.g., Asia). In particular, in societies where people believe that much of what happens is beyond their control, this theory may have less value. It would seem that expectancy theory is best able to explain worker motivation in cultures where there is a strong internal locus of control (e.g., in the United States). In short, the theory seems culture-bound, and international managers must be aware of this limitation in their efforts to apply this theory to motivate human resources.

Equity Theory

a process theory that focuses on how motivation is affected by people's perception of how fairly they are being treated if people perceive that they are being treated equitably, this perception will have a positive effect on their job performance and satisfaction, and there is no need to strive for equity. if they believe they are not being treated fairly, especially in relation to relevant others, they will be dissatisfied, and this belief will have a negative effect on their job performance and they will strive to restore equity. Works in western work groups, results mixed on an international basis, the theory appears to be culture-bound. when people are not treated fairly, they will take steps to reduce the inequity by, for example, doing less work, In Asia and the Middle East, however, employees often readily accept inequitable treatment in order to preserve group harmony. the results still point to the fact that equity theory is not universally applicable in explaining motivation and job satisfaction. In short, although the theory may help explain why "equal pay for equal work" is a guiding motivation principle in countries such as the United States and Canada, it may have limited value in other areas of the world, including Asia and Latin America

Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory

a theory that identifies two sets of factors that influence job satisfaction: hygiene and motivators Ask: 1. when did you feel particularly good about your job? Responds to Motivators: Job content, achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement, and the work itself. these are more psychological in nature, like Maslow's higher level need 2. When did you feel exceptionally bad? Responds to hygiene factors: job context, salary, interpersonal relations, technical supervision, working conditions, and company policies and administration. These are more environmental in nature, like Maslow's lower level needs hygiene + motivators= employee satisfaction If hygiene are not taken care of or are deficient, there will be dissatisfaction. If taken care of, there will be no dissatisfaction, but also no satisfaction. Only when BOTH are present will there be satisfaction. "Hygiene prevents dissatisfaction, motivators lead to satisfaction."