[Business] Organizational Behavior - Motivation (1)

Motivation

1.    What is motivation?

-      Process that account for an individual’s intensity, direction and persistence of effort toward attaining a goal.

-      Result of interaction of individual and situation.

-      Not personal trait à if motivation comes from personal trait, it would be stable. However, the motivation is affected by organization and even weather (circumstances). << Manager should do his best to make good circumstances.

-      Motivated employees are willing to exert a particular level of effort(intensity) for a certain period of time(persistence) toward a particular goal(direction)

 

2.    Content vs. Process Motivation theories

l  Content theories

-      Explain the dynamics of employee needs and why people have different needs at different times.

l  Process motivation theories

-      Describe the processes through which need deficiencies are translated into behavior.

3.    Content theories of motivation

① Maslow’s needs hierarchy theory

-      There is a hierarchy of 5 needs within every human being

 

-      Satisfaction-progression process

: As each of the needs becomes substantially satisfied, the next need becomes dominant.

: Although no need is ever fully gratified, a substantially satisfied need no longer motivates.

: If we want to motivate someone, we need to understand what level of the hierarchy that person is currently on. 

è 개인을 motivate 시키는 것은 한 가지 욕구가 아님. 욕구는 복합적으로 작용함.

è 만족되면 상위 단계로 올라간다? 욕구는 한 번 충족되었다고 끝나는 것 아님. 다시 내려올 수도 있음.

② Alderfer’s ERG Theory

-      Revision of Maslow’s theory

-      3 groups of core needs (Existence – physiological + safety, Relatedness – social needs, Growth – esteem and self-actualization needs)

-      More than one need may be operative at the same time.

-      Frustration – regression

: If we are unable to satisfy a higher need, we become frustrated and regress back to the next lower need level.

③ Herzberg’s Two factor theory

-      Motivation – hygiene theory

-      Certain job characteristics (motivators) tend to be consistently related to job satisfaction and others (hygiene) to job dissatisfaction.

: Motivators include recognition, personal growth, whereas

; Hygiene factors include job security, working conditions etc.

è Working condition improvement cannot improve job satisfaction. However it can reduce job dissatisfaction. (Removing hygiene factors from a job does not make the job satisfying.)

-      To motivate people, managers need to emphasize intrinsically rewarding that are associated with the work itself or to outcomes directly derived from it.

④ McClelland’s Theory of Needs

-      Focus on 3 needs (Need for achievement, Need for power, Need for affiliation)

-      Individual with a high need for achievement prefer job with high responsibility, feedback and intermediate degree of risk. However, a high need to achieve does not necessarily lead to being a good manager.

-      The need for affiliation and power tend to be closely related.

-      Need for achievement can be stimulated through training.

4.    Practical implications of content theories

-      People have different needs at different times.

è Offer employees a choice of rewards – a flexible reward/benefits system.

-      Do not rely too heavily on financial rewards – they mainly address lower level needs.

-      Link task performance and desirable behaviors to needs satisfaction and valued rewards

5.    Goal setting Theory

-      Intentions to work toward a goal are a major source of work motivation (direction)

-      A goal serves as a motivator because it causes people to compare their present capacity to perform with that required to succeed at the goal.

-      Goals: the immediate or ultimate objective that employees are trying to accomplish from their work effort.

 

6.    How do goals affect performance?

-      Directing: attention and action

-      Mobilizing: on-task effort

-      Developing: task strategies

-      Encouraging: task persistence

-      Setting: levels of proficiency

 

7.    Characteristics of effective goals

8.    Managers’ guidelines for setting effective performance goals.

① Assign Specific goals

-      Specific goals > “do your best (ambiguous goals)” or no goals à 8~16% increase in performance. Ex) Oklahoma lumber camp study

-      Why do vague goals result in lower performance?

ü  “Do your best” goals may not matter à 그냥 하는 소리로 치부.

ü  A much greater range of success can be interpreted. (결과의 정당화가 가능) à it is harder to evaluate performance.

ü  There is no “benefit of the doubt” with specific goals.

② Assign difficult, but acceptable goals.

-      91% of studies found that difficult goals result in better performance than easy goals. 10~16% boost in performance due to goals.

-      People work for challenging goals within their limits.

-      As goals become too difficult, performance suffers. (= 지나치게 어려운 경우 포기)

③ Provide feedback on goal attainment

-      Feedback helps people adjust their behaviors to better attain their goals

-      Study on pizza delivery drivers à Feedback 받는 동안 개선. 이후 Feedback을 멈추자 다시 성과 하락. 이는 목표치가 어느 정도인지 모르고, 잘해서 feedback을 하지 않는다고 생각하기 때문.

④ Ensure necessary conditions are in place

-      조직의 입장 뿐 아니라 개인적 차원에서도 하는 일이 왜 중요한지 알려줘야 함.

-      Commitment and acceptance (involve employees)

-      Ability / Self-efficacy