Motivation theories and ideas as well as a discussion about the importance of motivation. There is also a discussion of the use of extrinsic and intrinsic rewards

1. An Introduction of ideas and theories.
Randy Ashby
SNHU Adjunct
OL 125

2.  What is Motivation?
 Rewards and Motivation
 Motivation Theories
 Maslow’s and ERG
 Equity and Expectancy
 Two factor and Acquired Needs
 Reinforcement and Self Determination
 Other theories
 Needs Based vs Cognitive Based
 Needs based theories comparison
 Why is this important?
 Closing Thoughts
 Works Cited

3.  “The process that initiates, guides, and maintains
goal-oriented behaviors...what causes us to
act…[and] involves the biological, emotional,
social, and cognitive forces that activate behavior”
(Cherry, 2015).
 In other words, it is why we do the things that we
do or why we choose not to take certain actions.
These could be for monetary gain, personal
satisfaction, or an immediate reaction (fight or
flight). No two people are necessarily motivated
in the same way to conduct the same action.*
*See Notes

4.  Rewards are used as a way to help “spark” motivation in
individuals to perform in a certain way and meet certain beneficial
benchmarks that are desired by the organization.
 Extrinsic Rewards – Physical rewards that are provided to
someone for meeting certain criteria like performance or safety
goals in the work place.
 Money, Paid Time Off, Trips, Gifts, etc.
 Intrinsic Rewards – Rewards that contribute to personal
satisfaction for doing a job and do not provide some
monetary/physical item for completing a task.
 Public recognition, Increased Responsibility, Pride, Increased Decision
Making Authority, Access to Higher Level Leaders in the Organization,
Training, etc.
 The best reward plans are individualized and use a combination
of rewards for reaching near term and long term goals, use
intrinsic and extrinsic rewards, and have elements that reward
individual and team based accomplishments.*

5.  Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs – Divides human needs
and wants into five areas. As more base levels of needs
are met/satisfied then people desire to seek out higher
level factors. The key is that the lower level needs
must be satisfied in order to move to the next level.*
 Alderfer’s ERG Theory – Expands/modifies Maslow’s
into three areas (Existence, Relatedness, Growth).*
Key points from Alderfer include:
 People can be motivated by more than one area at once and
there is no definitive progression from one to another.
 People can become frustrated if they do not meet higher level
goals and will regress to another level that they feel they can
meet the needs of.

7.  Adams’ Equity Theory – People will base their level of
rewards and inputs based off of what others are
receiving for similar tasks. If they perceive that they
are not being treated in a like manner, under-
rewarded, they will attempt to restore balance (equity)
by seeking out increased rewards or decreasing their
effort. They will eventually leave organizations that do
not restore equity. (Skiba & Rosenburg, p. 1).*
 Vroom’s Expectancy Theory – This is based off of a
person’s belief that they have the ability to work
towards a certain goal (expectancy), believe that
achieving a goal will result in a desired outcome, and
how much they desire the outcome.

8. *

9.  Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory – Pretty simple really;
there are hygiene factors and motivational factors that
impact people’s satisfaction in an organization.
Hygiene factors impact negatively on people while
motivators made the actual impact on satisfaction and,
thus, motivation.*
 McClelland’s Acquired Needs Theory* - Categorized
human needs into three areas of Achievement, Power,
and Affiliation. McClelland felt that each person is
motivated in different ways by each area but that each
person also has a preference. The preference that each
person has is predicated on their life experiences and
culture, as is the satisfaction that they receive from
receiving a reward out of each area.

11.  Skinner’s Reinforcement Theory* - This theory focuses mainly on actions
rather than motives and looks at how people respond to external effects.
In essence people will do things, or stop doing things, when faced with
specific, targeted stimuli. The four factors are positive reinforcement,
negative reinforcement, punishment, and extinction.*
 Self Determination Theory – A psychological theory that takes the
position that people have a natural tendency to grow and develop in a
positive manner that is consistent with their potential. However, if basic
needs are not met then they will not act in the interests of growth or
development; in other words people must have support for their growth
or they will regress. The three innate needs that are present in this theory
are Competence, Relatedness, and Autonomy.* (Deci & Vansteenkiste,
2004). Believes that both intrinsic (autonomous) and extrinsic (controlled)
rewards play a role in a person’s development and motivation to grow
and that the darker side of a person’s personality is a direct result of not
having their basic needs met. This theory has elements of both cognitive
and need based motivation because it focuses on both beliefs and needs.

12. Reinforcement

13.  Theory X and Theory Y – Belief that people are either lazy and
need to be controlled (X) or they can be ambitious and want to
have autonomy if given the right conditions (Y)
 Pygmalion Effect – An idea that states that leaders that set high
standards/goals for their followers and show that they expect
them to meet them, while giving them the tools to succeed, will
result in the followers performing up to those expectations.
 Galeta Effect – This is known more colloquially as a self fulfilling
prophesy. If a person believes in their own ability and expects to
succeed, or fail, then that is what will happen.
 Mayo’s Theory of Human Relations – Extrinsic rewards are not
enough to get people to perform their best work and social
(intrinsic) considerations must be met.
 Force Field Theory – Driving forces and restraining forces work
against each other in terms of productivity. When the total of the
two is balanced then that is the current level of production. When
restraining forces are greater production goes down; when driving
forces are greater production goes up.*

14.  Two main divisions of theories are those that focus on the needs of people
and those that focus on the beliefs, expectations, values, and culture of an
individual.
 Needs – Include basic needs like shelter, food, or money but then also
increases to personal development, autonomy, or belonging. The main
need based theories are: Maslow’s, ERG, Acquired Need, and Two Factor.
 Cognitive – Focuses on how much a person believes they can accomplish
a task, how much they want to accomplish a task, or even the beliefs of
others that you can reach the goal. The focus is on the desire and this can
come down to experiences (previous success or failure), values (“can-
do”/pride), or expectations of the rewards from the outcome. The main
cognitive theories are equity, expectancy, reinforcement, and Theory
X/Theory Y. The Pygmalion and Galeta Effects fall into this as well.
 Other divisions that people look at include: natural vs. rational, content
vs. process, incentive vs. drive.

15. HigherOrderNeedsLowerOrderNeeds
Self
Actualization
Esteem
Love and
Belonging
Safety
Physiological
Maslow’s ERG
Growth
Relatedness
Existence
Two Factor
Motivators
Hygiene
Acquired
Needs
Achievement
Power
Affiliation
Self
Determination
Autonomy
Relatedness
Competence
IntrinsicExtrinsic

16.  Understanding the dynamics involved in the
theories discussed can help you to not only
motivate yourself but also those around you.
 Identifying what people want can help you identify the
tools you can use to motivate them.
 Identifying how people respond to stimuli can help you
identify the manner in which you should use rewards.
 Understanding the beliefs of yourself, or others, in being
able to accomplish a task can help you to focus on
improving competence, confidence, or division of labor.

17.  You understand who to motivate
 People that are motivated by affiliation will respond to how others
are acting. Focus on inspiring/motivating those that are not as
influenced by others’ reactions and those that are will follow.
 Do you really need to focus on your top performers, your “self-
starters”?
 You understand what tools to use
 Many times it isn’t just money that people want. People will be
motivated if they believe that they will grow, develop, and have
security in an organization.
 You understand how to use rewards and punishment.
 Motivation is a catchall phrase that basically means you are trying
to get someone to act in a desired way or reach a desired goal. If
used improperly and inconsistently then rewards and punishment
lose their effectiveness.

18.  “Motivation is the action of the external and
internal forces of each individual, aware or not
of the capacity to change his or her behavior”
(Neagu, p. 14).
 Translation – people are motivated from their own
internal ideas and by external factors.
 “All that we are is the result of what we have
thought” -Buddha

19.  Cherry, K. (2015). What is Motivation. Retrieved from
http://psychology.about.com/od/mindex/g/motivation-definition.htm
 Skiba, M. & Rosenburg, S. (2011). The Disutility of Equity Theory in
Contemporary Management Practice. The Journal of Business and Economic
Studies, 17(2), p. 1-19, 97-98.
 Cohen, P. (July 31, 2015). A Company Copes With Backlash Against the Raise
that Roared. The New York Times. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/02/business/a-company-copes-with-
backlash-against-the-raise-that-roared.html?_r=0.
 Deci, E. L., & Vansteenkiste, M. (2004). Self-determination theory and basic
need satisfaction: Understanding human development in positive psychology.
Ricerche di Psichologia, 27, 17–34.
 Neagu, M. (2010). Motivation and Organizational Commitment as Predictors
of Workplace Performance in a Bread Factory from Romania. Romanian
Journal of Experimental Applied Psychology, 1(1), p. 13-23.