Chapter 5: Foundations of Employee Motivation

Theory Y

A modern and positive set of assumptions about people at work: that they are self-engaged, committed, responsible, and creative.

Theory X

A pessimistic view of employees: that they dislike work, must be monitored, and can only be motivate with rewards and punishment.

Content Theories of Motivation

Revolve around the notion that an employee's needs influence motivation.

Need Hierarchy Theory

States that motivation is a function of five basic needs: Physiological, safety, love, esteem, and self-actualization.

Acquired Needs Theory

States that three needs -- achievement, affiliation, and power -- are the key drivers or employee behavior.

Equity Theory

A model of motivation that explains how people strive for fairness and justice in social exchanges or give-and-take relationships.

Self-determination Theory

Assumes that three innate needs influence our behavior and well-being -- competence, autonomy, and relatedness. Focuses on the needs that drive intrinsic motivation.

Process Theories of Motivation

Attempt to describe how various person factors and environmental factors in the integrative framework affect motivation.

Three Innate Needs

Competent Needs, Autonomy Needs, Relatedness Needs

Safety

Consists of the need to be safe from psychological harm.

Two general Categories of Motivation Theories

Content Theories & Process Theories

Needs

Defined as psychological deficiencies that arouse behavior. Vary over time and place.

Procedural Justice

Defined as the perceived fairness of the process and procedures used to make allocation decisions.

Self-Actualization

Desire for self-fulfillment -- to become the best one is capable of becoming.

Intrinsic Motivation

Occurs when an individual is "turned on to one's work because of the positive internal feelings that generated by doing well.

Key elements of Equity Theory

Outputs: Pay, benefits, assignments Inputs: Time, skill, education Comparison of the ratio of outputs to inputs.

Motivator-hygiene theory

Proposes that job satisfaction and dissatisfaction arise from two different sets of factors -- satisfaction comes from motivating factors and dissatisfaction from hygiene factors.

Valence

Refers to the positive or negative value people place on outcomes. "How much do I value the rewards I receive?"

Motivation

Refers to the psychological processes "that underlie the direction, intensity, and persistence of behavior or thought."

Goal Specificity

Refers to the quantifiability of a goal.

Distributive Justice

Reflects the perceived fairness of how resources and rewards are distributed or allocated.

Interactional Justice

Related to the "quality of interpersonal treatment people receive when procedures are implemented."

Expectancy

Represents an individual's belief that a particular degree of effort will be followed by a particular level of performance. "Can I achieve my desired level of performance?"

Extrinsic Motivation

Results from the potential or actual receipt of extrinsic rewards.

Expectancy Theory

Holds that people are motivated to behave in ways that produce desired combinations of expected outcomes.

Instrumentality

How an individual perceives the movement from performance to outcome. "What intrinsic and extrinsic rewards will I receive if I achieve my desired level of performance?"

Motivating Factors

Including achievement, recognition, characteristics of work, responsibility, and advancement -- cause a person to move from a state of no satisfaction to satisfaction.

Physiological

Most basic need. Entails having enough food, air, and water to survive.

Love

The desire to be loved and to love. Includes the needs for affection and belonging.

Need for achievement

The desire to excel, overcome obstacles, solve problems, and rival and surpass others.

Need for Power

The desire to influence, coach, teach, or encourage others to achieve.

Need for affiliation

The desire to maintain social relationships, to be liked, and to join groups.

Relatedness Needs

This is the desire to feel part of a group, to belong, and to be connected with others. "I want to be connected with others."

Competence Needs

This is the desire to feel qualified, knowledgeable, and capable to complete an act, task, or goal. "I need to feel efficacious."

Autonomy Needs

This is the desire to have freedom and discretion in determining what you want to do and how you want to do it. "I need to feel independent to influence my environment"

Hygiene Factors

Including company policy and administration, technical supervision, salary, interpersonal relations with one's supervisor and working conditions -- cause a person to move from a state of no dissatisfaction to dissatisfaction.

Frederick Herzberg's Theory

Motivator-Hygiene Theory

Esteem

Need for reputation, prestige, and recognition from others. Also includes need for self-confidence and strength.