MOTIVATION
1.1 DEFINITION OF MOTIVATION
Motivation is an inner drive to behave or act in a certain manner. These inner conditions such as wishes, desires, goals, activate to move in a particular direction in behavior.
Motivation is the act of stimulating someone or oneself to get a desired course of action, to push the right button to get the desired action.
Motivation – It is an inner state of mind, which channels or directs behavior towards the achievement of pre-determined goals
Source :iDE (2018)
1.2 KEY OBJECTIVE OF MOTIVATION
- To energize people towards identified goals, results or outcomes.
- To enable people to achieve more than average or acceptable performance levels.
- To realize the higher potential of individuals.
1.3 IMPORTANCE AND ADVANTAGES OF MOTIVATION
- Motivation ensures better utilization of resources and reduce wastage
- Motivation will bridge the gap between “capacity to work and the willingness to work”
- Reduces problems like labor turnover, absenteeism, indiscipline and grievances
- Improves productivity
- Improves cooperation and team spirit
- Improves knowledge and skills among employees
- Acceptance of organizational change
- Reduces conflicts and misunderstanding between the employer and the employees
1.4 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF MOTIVATION
- All people are Motivated
- People do thing for their reasons
- You cannot motivate people by force – you have to act in a manner for them to get motivated.
1.5 HOW TO IDENTIFY DEMOTIVATION IN AN ORGANIZATION?
- Increase labor turn over
- Late attendance and absenteeism
- Drop in productivity
- Drop in quality of work out put
- Interpersonal conflicts
- Industrial disputes
1.6 MOTIVATION THEORIES
Motivation is a state of mind that is characterized by energy and passion that pushes a person to operate in a specific manner in order to attain desired outcomes. Motivation is a force that drives a person to work with a high level of dedication and focus, especially when the odds are stacked against him. Motivation results in a specific type of human behavior.
It is critical to guarantee that every member of a company's workforce remains motivated. Distinct psychologists have investigated human behavior and structured their findings into various motivation theories. These motivation theories help to explain how individuals act and what motivates them.
The study of motivation is a vast subject. There are numerous incentive theories. The following are some well-known motivation theories:
- Hierarchy of Needs theory by Abraham Maslow
- Two Factor Theory by Fredrick Herzberg
- X and Y Theory by Douglas McGregor
- ERG Theory by Clayton Alderfer
- Theory of Needs by David Mc Clelland
Hierarchy of Needs theory by Abraham Maslow
When a person's needs are met, according to Abraham Maslow, they will be motivated. The need begins with the most fundamental needs and progresses upward when each lower level need is met. The hierarchy of needs is shown below.
- Physiological: Physical survival necessities such as food, water, and shelter.
- Safety: Protection from threats, deprivation, and other dangers.
- Social (belongingness and love): The need for association, affiliation, friendship, and so on.
- Self-esteem: The need for respect and recognition.
- Self-actualization: The opportunity for personal development, learning, and fun/creative/challenging work. Self-actualization is the highest level need to which a human being can aspire.
Source : Knowledgehut (2021)
Every team member's special needs must be understood by the leader, who must then try to meet those demands.
Two Factor Theory by Fredrick Herzberg
Hertzberg divided the requirements into two groups: hygienic elements and motivating elements.
Source : Knowledgehut (2021)
To ensure that an employee is not unsatisfied, hygiene criteria are required. Employee happiness and motivation for improved performance are both dependent on motivator factors. The presence of hygiene variables does not ensure motivation, and motivation factors do not work in the absence of hygiene aspects.
X and Y Theory by Douglas McGregor
Douglas McGregor developed two separate perspectives on human beings based on worker participation. The first, dubbed Theory X, is essentially negative, while the second, dubbed
Theory Y, is essentially positive. There are persons who are both types of persons. They must be managed in accordance with their nature.
Theory X: Workers are essentially sluggish, self-centered, and lacking in ambition, according to the traditional view of the workforce. As a result, firm, top-down control is an acceptable management style.
Theory Y: This viewpoint asserts that employees are intrinsically motivated and eager to take on more responsibilities. Focusing on providing a productive work environment with positive rewards and reinforcement is a suitable management strategy.
Source : Slideplayer (2021)
ERG Theory by Clayton Alderfer
While ERG Theory and the Hierarchy of Needs have a lot in common, there are a few key differences.
Clayton Paul Alderfer, an American psychologist, created the model.
What is the ERG Theory of Motivation?
The best way to visualize Erg Theory is in the context of the Hierarchy of Needs as shown below.

- Existence Needs
- Relatedness Needs
- Growth Needs

Source :Teaching & Learning with 21st Century Technology (2019)
Need for Achievement
The drive to excel, to achieve in relation to a set of standards, to strive to succeed
Need for Power
The need to make other behave in a way that they would not have behaved otherwise
Need for Affiliation
This desire for friendly and close interpersonal relationships
1.7 HOW TO MOTIVATION PEOPLE
- Be motivated yourself
- Have a dream/vision
- Select people who are highly Motivated
- Treat each person as an individual
- Set realistic and challenging targets
- Create a motivating Environment
- Make progress – remember that progress motivates
- Provide fair rewards
- Give Recognition
- Reinforce relationship
Reference
Marchi C (2019) Achievement motivation theory. Teaching
& Learning with 21st Century Technology [online] available
at https://sites.google.com/site/learnteachtech/home/learning-theory/achievementmotivationtheory
Accessed on May 26, 2021
EPM (2018) ERG theory of motivation. Expert
Programme Management [online] available at https://expertprogrammanagement.com/2018/10/erg-theory-of-motivation/
Accessed on May 25, 2021
Fitzgerald B (2021) Theory x – theory y management
theory. Slideplayer [online] available at https://slideplayer.com/slide/12397113/ Access on May 25, 2021
iED Team (2018) Motivating your employee. Institute Of Entrepreneurship
Development [online] available at https://ied.eu/project-updates/motivating-your-employees/
Accessed on May 26, 2021
Knowledgehut (2021) Motivation theories. Knowledgehut
[online] available at https://www.knowledgehut.com/tutorials/project-management/motivation-theories
Access on May 25, 2021.






Since human resource scarcity is standing on our business front door, time has put substantial importance on leadership to lead the organization teams toward the organizational goals by intrinsically motivating and developing a team with high competency to achieve the organization's competitive advantages.
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DeleteThere are a number of tools and strategies that you can use to tailor your approach to motivation such as Maslow Hierarchy theory,Expectancy theory,Sirota's three factor theory ,ect.....
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DeleteMotivation is important in almost every aspect of human behavior. When you make a decision, your choice is certainly influenced by your motivational state
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DeleteMotivation will bridge the gap between “capacity to work and the willingness to work”
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DeleteMotivation is the process of stimulating people to actions to accomplish the goals
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DeleteEmployee motivation is critical to a company's success. It's the degree of dedication, desire, and energy that a company's employees bring to their jobs on a daily basis. Without it, businesses suffer from decreased productivity, poorer production, and are more likely to fall short of crucial objectives.
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DeleteMotivation is the process that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behaviors.
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DeleteMotivation involves the biological, emotional, social, and cognitive forces that activate behavior.
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DeleteMotivation is a pathway to change our way of thinking, feeling, and behaving.
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DeleteTo steward your purpose well, you have to be motivated to work towards your goals which helps your dreams become a reality.
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DeleteWhen you're unable to tap into the motivation you need to succeed, it might be because whatever thing you want to get motivated for is too vague.
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DeleteMotivation refers to how driven and happy an employee is in their role. If an employee is motivated, they are more likely to do a good job and work hard.
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DeleteMotivation is very important for attracting employees, retaining employees and general levels of productivity in a business.
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